State commission makes its decision on effort to keep former President Trump off the MA ballot

BOSTON — A Massachusetts panel on Monday unanimously denied an effort to remove former President Donald Trump’s name from the Republican presidential primary ballot.

“The Commission, having reviewed the materials submitted, has determined that the State Ballot Law Commission does not have jurisdiction over the matters presented,” according to the commission’s chairman, retired judge Francis Crimmins Jr.

The State Ballot Law Commission dismissed a challenge that alleged Trump is ineligible for office due to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, ruling that it does not have jurisdiction over the case.

The decision comes after a brief hearing Thursday where the State Ballot Law Commission took roughly five-minute statements from attorneys on both sides and adjourned to consider whether it has jurisdiction over the efforts to bar Trump from the Republican presidential primary and general election ballots.

According to State House News Service, the challenges revolve around Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which prohibits the election of anyone who previously under an oath of office “engaged in insurrection or rebellion.” The first of two nearly identical challenges, which the commission decided Thursday to consolidate into one proceeding, was filed this month by Free Speech For People and Massachusetts-based civil rights firm Lichten & Liss-Riordan, represented by recent Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and attorney general, Shannon Liss-Riordan.

The Massachusetts GOP shared the following statement about the decision:

“I applaud the Massachusetts Ballot Commission for its decision to allow voters to choose their nominee for president. The ill-conceived effort to remove a presidential candidate from the ballot would have undercut our system of democracy. The decision of who Massachusetts should choose as the Republican nominee for President of the United States will now rely squarely with the voters, as it should.”

Two other states — Colorado and Maine — have already disqualified Trump from their primaries on similar grounds. The U.S. Supreme Court said it will hear oral arguments in the Colorado case on Feb. 8.

Massachusetts’ presidential primary is scheduled for March 5.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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