Maine Supreme Court refuses to weigh in on Trump 2024 ballot eligibility

Maine’s Supreme Court has declined to weigh in on whether former president Donald Trump can stay on the state’s ballot amid challenges to his eligibility to run in the 2024 election.

Maine became the second state to disqualify Mr Trump from its 2024 presidential primary ballot in December, finding the former president ineligible due to his involvement in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.

But a judge at Maine’s top court put that decision on hold on Wednesday evening, upholding a previous decision that the US Supreme Court must first rule on a similar case in Colorado.

A previous court ruling had placed the ban on Mr Trump’s appearance on the state’s ballot on pause, requiring Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows to await the US Supreme Court decision.

Ms Bellows appealed that ruling.

But, in a unanimous decision handed down on Wednesday, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court dismissed her appeal.

“The Secretary of State suggests that there is irreparable harm because a delay in certainty about whether Trump’s name should appear on the primary ballot will result in voter confusion. This uncertainty is, however, precisely what guides our decision not to undertake immediate appellate review in this particular case,” the court said.

The US Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on the Colorado case on 8 February, with Maine’s presidential primary scheduled for 5 March.

Maine’s Supreme Court has declined to weigh in on whether former president Donald Trump can stay on the state’s ballot

In December, the Colorado Supreme Court determined that Mr Trump was ineligible to appear on the ballot because Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution prohibits anyone who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from