US: Trump Appeals Against Removal From Maine Ballot

Donald Trump has appealed against the decision by Maine’s top election official to remove him from the ballot in the 2024 presidential election.

Mr Trump, the current Republican frontrunner, asked that a State court overturn the move by Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.

Ms Bellows has previously defended her decision by saying she has a “sacred obligation” to uphold the law.

The Former US President has also been removed from the ballot in Colorado.

Mr Trump was removed from the Maine and Colorado ballots by challenges that cited the US constitution’s insurrection clause and his alleged incitement of the 2021 US Capitol riot.

The 14th Amendment of the US Constitution bans anyone whom has “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding federal office.

In Monday’s court filing regarding the Maine decision, Mr Trump’s attorneys write that Ms Bellows a Democrat was a “biased decision maker” without the legal authority to remove him from the ballot.

Additionally, the filing accuses Ms Bellows of making “multiple errors of law” and acting “in an arbitrary and capricious manner”.

“President Trump will be illegally excluded from the ballot as a result of the Secretary’s actions,” the filing says.

Ms Bellows, a former State Senator and Executive Director of Maine’s American Civil Liberties Union, was elected to serve as Maine’s Secretary of State in December 2020.

A group of current and former State lawmakers challenged Mr Trump’s place on the ballot, which Maine law required Ms Bellows to rule on.

Several lawsuits in other states such as Michigan and Minnesota that are similar to the Maine objection have been rejected in court.

The US Supreme Court is expected to take up the issue raised in Maine and Colorado, which will not take effect until the legal challenges are settled. A ruling by the court on Mr Trump’s eligibility would be applied nationwide.

BBC