Trump Sues Over Maine Primary Ballot Removal

Facts

• Former Pres. Donald Trump on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against Maine's secretary of state for removing him from that state's primary ballot in the race to be the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.¹
• Previously, Democratic Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows wrote in her Dec. 28, 2023, decision that Trump could not be on the ballot because of his actions related to the Jan. 6, 2021, alleged attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential win. She argued he violated Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution by leading what she said was an attempted 'insurrection.'²
• In becoming the first state official ever to unilaterally remove a presidential candidate from the ballot, Bellows determined Trump took part in an insurrection because he knew of and supported the Jan. 6 riot at the US Capitol, which led to the death of five police officers.³
• Filing the suit in Kennebec County Superior Court, Trump’s lawyers alleged that 'multiple errors of law' were made in the decision to remove him from the ballot, adding that Bellows 'acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner.'⁴
• Trump’s appeal comes while several challenges to his eligibility are being weighed in several different states; similar suits have already been rejected in some states. The US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) will likely get involved in the issue soon because the Colorado Supreme Court has removed Trump from that state’s ballot.⁵
• Although Trump is facing federal criminal charges and state charges in Georgia related to alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, he has not been charged with inciting insurrection in either case.⁶

Sources: ¹USA Today, ²ABC News, ³Forbes, ⁴The Wall Street Journal, ⁵Reuters and ⁶BBC News.

Narratives

• Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by Daily Wire. Democrats are pulling unethical, partisan tricks across the country, and it’s extremely suspicious that these ballot removals are coming at a time when Trump is polling ahead of Biden in key states. It's been well-documented that Bellows isn't an objective decision-maker — including social media posts about the 'fears of a Trump presidency' and calling the electoral college a 'relic of White supremacy.' It will be up to SCOTUS to provide Trump justice, otherwise, Maine Republicans may have to rethink how they pick their nominee.
• Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by Salon. This decision and others like it are thoroughly constitutional. Republicans who are crying foul are subscribing to a deeply flawed rationale. Trump was granted due process in Maine and Colorado through evidentiary hearings, and in Maine, Trump's lawyers knew they were grasping at straws and didn't even bother denying that Trump partook in an insurrection. Even conservative news sites have acknowledged the numerous constitutional reasons for barring certain candidates. It's Trump who's damaged, not the rulings.

Predictions