California Rules In Trump's Favour After He Gets Barred From Maine

Shortly after Maine disqualified Donald Trump from running for US President, California's secretary of state declined to remove his name from the primary ballot. This decision allows Trump to remain a candidate in the country's most populous state, where election officials have limited authority to remove candidates.

According to a report in The New York Times, Democrat Secretary of State Shirley Weber signaled her intention to keep Trump on the ballot, citing her interpretation of California's laws.

Earlier on the same day, Maine's Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows, in her ruling, deemed Trump ineligible due to his alleged involvement in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Maine's decision aligned with Colorado's Supreme Court, which ruled 4 to 3 against the former president's eligibility.

"I am aware that no secretary of state has previously barred a presidential candidate based on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. However, no presidential candidate has previously been involved in insurrection," noted Democrat Secretary Bellows in her statement.

Both decisions are pending legal processes. The ultimate decision now rests with the US Supreme Court.

The question arises: Can Trump run for US President despite numerous lawsuits seeking to bar his candidacy due to his alleged role in the Capitol Hill attack? Section 3 does not necessitate a criminal conviction to take effect. However, according to the US Constitution, without a court order, election officials lacked the authority to disqualify him-until Secretary of State Shenna Bellows' ruling.

The US Supreme Court has never addressed Section 3 directly. The likelihood of doing so increases with the consideration of appeals in the Colorado case-where the state Republican Party has already appealed, and Trump is expected to follow suit. Maine's decision adds weight to the high court's involvement, removing any ambiguity.

What exactly is Section 3 of the US Constitution? After the Civil War, the 14th Amendment, including Section 3, aimed to prevent former Confederates from attaining government positions.

Trump's legal team argues for voters to decide. They contend that Section 3's language-"an officer of the United States"-might not encompass the president. Even if it applies, they argue that it's a "political" matter best left to voters, not appointed judges. His lawyers assert that by categorically deeming him ineligible without a proper fact-finding process, judges are violating Trump's right to a fair legal procedure, akin to a lengthy criminal trial.