Maine secretary of state disqualifies Trump from primary ballot

Maine’s secretary of state on Thursday ruled former President Trump is disqualified from holding office and appearing on the state’s primary ballot under section 3 of the 14th Amendment over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol.

“The U.S. Constitution does not tolerate an assault on the foundations of our government, and Section 336 requires me to act in response,” Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, wrote in her decision.

“Given the compressed timeframe, the novel constitutional questions involved, the importance of this case, and impending ballot preparation deadlines, I will suspend the effect of my decision until the Superior Court rules on any appeal, or the time to appeal…has expired,” Bellows added.

The ruling notes that a challenger or candidate can appeal the decision to the Superior Court within 5 days.

The decision comes a week after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump is disqualified from the ballot in that state — a decision that has been stayed until Jan. 4 and is being appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

This is a developing story and will be updated.