Shenna Bellows, the Democratic Secretary of State for Maine, has reversed her previous decision regarding former President Donald Trump’s eligibility to appear on the state’s ballot. This change comes after the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling, which stated that states do not have the authority to bar a candidate from the ballot using the “Insurrection Clause” of the Fourteenth Amendment.
In December, Bellows had initially determined that Trump was ineligible based on Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment, but she had also stated that her decision would not be implemented until the U.S. Supreme Court made its ruling.
“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,” she wrote at the time.
However, after the Supreme Court ruled in Trump’s favor she was forced into making a humiliating retraction:
“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,” she wrote, according to the Hill.
“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,” Bellows continued.
“As a result of the modified ruling, votes cast for Mr. Trump in the March 5, 2024, presidential primary election will be counted,” she added.
Bellows’ update further exemplifies the significance of Monday’s ruling, overturning the contentious four-to-three decision of the Colorado Supreme Court. This serves as a clear demonstration of how it effectively eliminates any other attempts to disqualify Trump from the ballot using the same approach.
“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,” the court wrote in part.
“But states have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section Three with respect to federal offices, especially the presidency,” it said, adding, “Granting the states that authority would invert the Fourteenth Amendment’s rebalancing of federal and state power.”