(The Center Square) – A Kennebec County Superior Court judge has issued a stay on the Maine secretary of state’s decision to disqualify former President Donald Trump from the primary ballot, citing the 14th Amendment.
In Justice Michaela Murphy’s decision, she refused to rule on the case until the U.S. Supreme Court weighed in on Colorado’s attempt to disqualify the former president. Murphy underscored the need to “promote consistency” in an effort to “avoid voter confusion.”
In addition to the stay, Murphy denied an appeal filed by Trump’s legal team earlier this month.
Last month, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows issued a decision brought forth by Maine voters to challenge Trump’s primary petition, determining it invalid. Bellows, a Democrat, “ruled that the declaration on his candidate consent form is false,” saying the former president is not qualified to hold the office of president, citing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear Trump’s appeal challenging a decision from Colorado’s highest court ruling that the former president was ineligible to appear on the state’s primary ballot, citing the 14th Amendment.
The Maine GOP primary is set for Super Tuesday, which will be held March 5. The highest court in the land is scheduled to hear oral arguments on the Colorado appeal Feb. 8.
