Maine’s top election official appeals the ruling that delayed a decision on Trump’s ballot status

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s secretary of state is appealing a judge’s ruling that put on hold her decision to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a similar case in Colorado.

Shenna Bellows concluded last month that Trump didn’t meet ballot qualifications under the insurrection clause in the U.S. Constitution, citing his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. That made her the first election official to ban the Republican ex-president from the ballot under the 14th Amendment.

But a state judge this week sent the case back to Bellows, a Democrat, with instructions to await the U.S. Supreme Court decision before withdrawing, modifying or upholding her decision.

On Friday, Bellows filed a notice of appeal for an expedited review. She said she welcomes guidance from the U.S. Supreme Court but also wanted to avail herself to a review from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.

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