The call was only a matter of days. Donald Trump’s lawyers asked the Maine courts on Tuesday, January 2, to overturn the decision to remove the name of the former American president from the ballots for the Republican primary in this northeastern state of the United States. United, the second having taken such a measure ten months before the presidential election.
A week after a similar judgment rendered by the Colorado Supreme Court, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows estimated Thursday that the Republican favorite was not “not fit for the office of president” due to his role in the violent assault committed by his supporters on the Capitol in Washington in January 2021 in an attempt to prevent the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. The two States argued on the 14the amendment to the Constitution, which excludes from any public liability persons who have engaged in acts of“insurrection”.
Donald Trump’s lawyers argue that Mr.me Bellows – who became the first Secretary of State in history to bar someone from running for president under Section 3 of 14e amendment – abused its discretion and relied on “untrustworthy evidence”calling it “biased leader” Who “acted arbitrarily and capriciously”.
“The Secretary of State should have recused herself due to her bias against President Trump, as demonstrated by a documented history of prior statements”they wrote.
The appeal of the Colorado decision should not take long
The historic decisions of Maine and Colorado relate at this stage only to the Republican primaries which must be held in these two states on March 5, on a day called “Super Tuesday” because of the numerous votes organized that day. by Democrats and Republicans. They will not be applied as long as the legal proceedings challenging them continue.
Donald Trump is also expected to soon appeal the Colorado decision to the United States Supreme Court, which has never ruled on Section 3 of the 14e amendment of the Constitution – the Republican Party of Colorado has already appealed to the highest court in the country – while the action of Mme Bellows will first be tried in the Maine Supreme Court.
“It’s part of the process, Shenna Bellows said Tuesday. I have confidence in my decision and in the rule of law. This is the Maine process and it is very important that, above all, those who serve the government respect the Constitution and the laws of the state.”.
Donald Trump was indicted, in August 2023, at the federal level as well as by the State of Georgia, accused of having attempted to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election. Several proceedings have been launched in various States to block the path of the big favorite of the Republican primaries. Michigan and Minnesota rejected them.