Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Friday appealed a judge's decision to put on hold former President Donald Trump's ballot status.
The appeal comes after a state judge this week returned the case to Bellows with instructions to await the U.S. Supreme Court decision, WABI reported.
In Friday's filing, Bellows said she welcomes guidance from the Supreme Court but also wanted an expedited review from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
"I know both the constitutional and state authority questions are of grave concern to many," Bellows said in a statement. "This appeal ensures that Maine's highest court has the opportunity to weigh in now, before ballots are counted, promoting trust in our free, safe and secure elections."
Bellows, a Democrat, last month concluded that Trump didn't meet the ballot qualifications under the insurrection clause in the U.S. Constitution.
Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, last year was indicted on felony charges for working to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He has pleaded not guilty.
Maine's decision to remove Trump from the ballot came after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that the former president was disqualified from appearing on that state's ballot because he engaged in insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.
Trump appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which two weeks ago said it would hear the case. Arguments will be heard Feb. 8 and the court will probably decide quickly ahead of state primaries.
Trump on Thursday urged the high court to reverse the ruling.
"The court should put a swift and decisive end to these ballot-disqualification efforts, which threaten to disenfranchise tens of millions of Americans and which promise to unleash chaos and bedlam if other state courts and state officials follow Colorado’s lead and exclude the likely Republican presidential nominee from their ballots," the brief said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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