The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that states cannot ban candidates from ballots using the 14th Amendment’s Insurrection Clause for federal offices like President.
Following this ruling, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows withdrew her previous determination that Donald Trump should be prohibited from appearing on the state’s ballot due to the Insurrection Clause.
Bellows had made that determination in December but said it would not be carried out until the Supreme Court weighed in.
Bellows said, “Specifically, I find that the declaration on his candidate consent form is false because he is not qualified to hold the office of the president under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment.”
“The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that individual states lack authority to enforce Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment with respect to federal offices,” said Bellows.
She continued, “Consistent with my oath and obligation to follow the law and the Constitution, and pursuant to the Anderson decision, I hereby withdraw my determination that Mr. Trump’s primary petition is invalid.”
“As a result of the modified ruling, votes cast for Mr. Trump in the March 5, 2024, presidential primary election will be counted,” said Bellows.
The ruling effectively kills all other efforts to disqualify Trump from ballots in this way and rebalances power between states and the federal government on this issue, with states having no authority over federal offices.
The Colorado Supreme Court wrote, “This case raises the question [of] whether the states, in addition to Congress, may also enforce Section Three. We conclude that states may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office.”
“But states have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section Three with respect to federal offices, especially the presidency,” their ruling continued.
The Colorado Supreme Court wrote, “Granting the states that authority would invert the Fourteenth Amendment’s rebalancing of federal and state power.”
Trump commented that Biden should stop weaponizing prosecutors/judges against political opponents who can be defeated by voters.
Trump said, “Don’t use prosecutors and judges to go after your opponent to try and damage your opponents, and you can win an election. Our country is much bigger than that.”
“The voters can take the person out of the race very quickly,” he continued.
Trump added, “But a court shouldn’t be doing that, and the Supreme Court said that very well.”
The case is Trump v. Anderson, No. 23-719 in the Supreme Court of the United States.
Most Popular:
FBI Informant Who Criticized Biden Gets Bad News
Drag Queen Principal Learns His Fate Amid Controversy
