Washington, DC [US], January 3 : Former US President Donald Trump has requested a Maine court to overturn the Secretary of State's decision to remove him from the 2024 primary ballot there due to his role in the US Capitol insurrection that occurred on January 6, 2021, CNN reported.
Trump's request to the court came after Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, announced her decision last week. Bellows stated that she had a legal obligation to remove Trump from the ballot under a Civil War-era provision of the Constitution that stops those who "engaged in insurrection" from holding office.
She paused her decision, which is only applicable in Maine, so that the former US President could file an appeal in court before the presidential primary election there on March 5, 2024, according to CNN report.
Trump is facing similar 14th Amendment challenges to his candidature in other states, including Colorado, where the state Supreme Court ordered Trump's removal from the primary ballot there. The former US President is planning to appeal against the decision in the US apex court.
The US Supreme Court's decision will be the final say on whether Trump is eligible to appear on the primary ballot in Maine's Colorado and other states where his eligibility has been challenged, CNN reported.
Trump on Tuesday called the Maine secretary of state a "biased decisionmaker" who didn't have the legal authority to hear the challenge seeking to disqualify him from office. He said that Bellows "should have recused herself" from deciding on the issue and added that she did not give him "adequate time and opportunity to present a defence.
In the appeal, Donald Trump wrote, "By submitting his petition and consent as required by the statute, President Trump has met all requirements set forth by the Maine Legislature in the statute and is entitled to be placed on the Republican primary ballot," CNN reported.
He said, "Nonetheless, in the Secretary's Ruling, the Secretary wrongfully denied President Trump a place on the Republican primary ballot." In the filing, Trump noted that Bellows "failed to provide lawful due process" and "made multiple errors of law and acted arbitrarily and capriciously." He wrote, "President Trump did not 'engage' in 'insurrection'.
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