Following his claimed involvement in the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack, Donald Trump has filed a petition to be prevented from voting in Maine's Republican presidential primary next year.
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced the decision, citing Donald Trump's role in the January 6 incident as grounds for disqualification, prohibiting him from appearing on the March 5 ballot.
Trump, the Republican nominee, has brought the case to the state's Superior Court, seeking a reversal of Bellows' decision. His legal team disputes the charge that he incited an insurgency and questions Bellows' jurisdiction to ban him from the primary vote.
Former Maine politicians argued for Trump's exclusion, citing a section in the US Constitution that prohibits persons from holding public office if they participate in insurrection after taking the oath of allegiance to the United States.
The move is similar to other challenges to Donald Trump's candidature filed under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment by advocacy groups and anti-Trump voters. These legal challenges derive from charges that Trump incited his supporters to rush the Capitol and interrupt Congress's certification of Joe Biden's victory.
The legal struggle has spread beyond Maine, with Colorado also prohibiting Trump from being on its primary ballot. The case is expected to reach the United States Supreme Court, which might provide a nationwide solution to the problems surrounding Trump's eligibility.
While several similar cases in other states have been dismissed, Trump's team calls these ballot challenges a "assault on American democracy."
Despite the legal obstacles, opinion surveys show Trump with a big lead in the Republican nominating race, which is due to begin state-by-state on January 15.
0 Comments