The move has sparked controversy across America.
ADVERTISEMENTMaine ruled on Thursday that Donald Trump cannot run for president next year in the state.
Trump was barred from the ballet by Marine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows because of his actions leading up to the 2021 US Capitol Riot.
Maine joins Colorado – which also cited the insurrection cause – as the second state to disqualify the former US president.
Both decisions are on hold while the legal process plays out.
While Colorado consistently votes Democratic, the split between Democrat and Republican is closer in Maine, meaning it would be a notable loss for Trump.
“I do not reach this conclusion lightly,” said Bellows, a Democrat. “I am mindful that no Secretary of State has ever deprived a presidential candidate of ballot access based on Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment.
“I am also mindful, however, that no presidential candidate has ever before engaged in insurrection,” she added.
Trump, currently the frontrunner for the right-wing Republicans, has vowed to challenge the decision. His supporters have similarly blasted the move.
“Make no mistake, these partisan election interference efforts are a hostile assault on American democracy,” said Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesperson.
Bellows is “a virulent leftist”, he alleged.
Trump’s political fate is now in the hands of the US Supreme Court.
The Maine ruling will likely increase pressure on the nation’s highest court to say clearly: Can Trump still run for president after the 6 January 2021, attack on the US Capitol?