A ruling that former US President Donald Trump cannot participate in the Republican primary in Maine because of his role in the January 6 raid on Congress has been delayed until the Supreme Court rules on a similar case in Colorado.
Maine Superior Court Judge Michaela Murphy ruled that the decision by Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows that Trump cannot appear on the state's ballot in the Republican primary for the presidential race should be put on hold until the US Supreme Court rules on a similar case in Colorado, The New York Times reported.
In his 17-page ruling, Murphy stated that Bellows faced an uncertain legal environment when he made the decision in question and that he should be given the opportunity to consider the application of the Supreme Court's ruling.
Thus, Murphy's ruling delayed the implementation of the decision that Trump could not be on the ballot.
Colorado and Maine had barred Trump from the primaries
On December 20, 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump could not participate in the presidential race in that state on the grounds that he committed the crime of "insurrection and rebellion" in the January 6, 2021 raid on Congress.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows also ruled on December 28 that Trump could not participate in the Republican Party's primary elections in this state due to his role in the January 6 Congressional raid.
In line with these decisions, Trump's name would not be on the ballots in the primaries in both states on March 5, where Republican candidates will compete, but the US Supreme Court will have the final say on this issue after Trump appealed both states' decisions as expected.
Trump won by a landslide in Iowa
In Iowa, the state where the US presidential election race traditionally begins, Trump came out on top with a landslide victory in the primaries pitting the Republican candidates against each other.
