U.S. Maine disqualifies Trump from presidential primary ballot, Colorado puts him back

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Thursday decided that former President Donald Trump was disqualified from the state ballot in next year's U.S. presidential primary election for his role in the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The Trump campaign said it would appeal Bellows' decision to Maine's state courts, and Bellows suspended her ruling until that court system ruled on the case. Ultimately, the nation's highest court will likely have the final say on whether Trump appears on the ballot in Maine and the other states.

As for Colorado, the state's Secretary of State Jena Griswold confirmed Thursday that Donald Trump's name will remain on the state's 2024 presidential primary ballot unless the nation's highest court upholds the Colorado Supreme Court's previous ruling against Trump.

"The Colorado Republican Party has appealed the Colorado Supreme Court's decision in Anderson v. Griswold to the U.S. Supreme Court," Griswold said in a statement, "With the appeal filed, Donald Trump will be included as a candidate on Colorado's 2024 Presidential Primary Ballot when certification occurs on January 5, 2024, unless the U.S. Supreme Court declines to take the case or otherwise affirms the Colorado Supreme Court ruling."

However, Griswold insisted in her statement that Trump was ineligible due to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, particularly the events of Jan. 6, 2021, under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment.

"Donald Trump engaged in insurrection and was disqualified under the Constitution from the Colorado Ballot. The Colorado Supreme Court got it right. This decision is now being appealed. I urge the U.S. Supreme Court to act quickly given the upcoming presidential primary election," the statement read.