The decision in Maine to keep Donald Trump off the ballot is now officially on hold by court order, highlighting the importance of the U.S. Supreme Court’s forthcoming ruling in the Colorado case.
The Maine ruling against Trump last month was notable not only because it joined Colorado in disqualifying the former president from the presidential primary ballot, but also because a secretary of state made the decision, rather than a court. Like the Colorado Supreme Court ruling last month that was paused pending appeal to the U.S. justices, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows put her decision on hold pending state court appeal. Now, with the agreement of the parties, a Maine judge has agreed to pause that state’s ruling pending the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Colorado case, Trump v. Anderson.
In doing so Wednesday, Maine Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy expressed the hope that the land’s highest court will give guidance to Maine and other states, as challenges have mounted across the country on Trump’s eligibility for office under the 14th Amendment. Murphy sent the case back to Bellows, instructing her to issue a new decision after the U.S. Supreme Court rules. It’s unclear when that high court decision will come, but oral arguments are set for Feb. 8, and we can expect a quicker ruling than would typically happen in a Supreme Court case that could otherwise take months.
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Jordan Rubin is the Deadline: Legal Blog writer. He was a prosecutor for the New York County District Attorney’s Office in Manhattan and is the author of “Bizarro,” a book about the secret war on synthetic drugs. Before he joined MSNBC, he was a legal reporter for Bloomberg Law.