AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Democrats who control the Maine Legislature on Tuesday turned back a Republican effort to impeach the state’s top election official for her decision to remove former President Donald Trump from the state ballot over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The Maine House voted 80-60 along party lines against an impeachment resolution targeting Shenna Bellows, the first secretary of state in history to block someone from running for president by invoking the U.S. Constitution’s insurrection clause.
Bellows has called the impeachment effort political theater, and has vowed to abide by any legal ruling on her decision to keep Trump off Maine’s March 5 primary ballot, which is under appeal in Maine Superior Court.
Republicans are furious over Bellows’ conclusion that GOP frontrunner doesn’t meet ballot requirements. They argued that her decision disenfranchised the more than 300,000 voters in Maine who chose Trump in the last election.
GOP Rep. Michael Soboleski, of Phillips, called the secretary’s action “election interference of the highest order” and a fellow Republican, Rep. James Thorne, of Carmel, said the secretary’s action “does nothing but further divide the political banner between the parties, and indeed the people of the state of Maine.”
“There has been no conviction in a court of law. She is not a judge. She is not a jury. And I believe that the people feel absolutely disenfranchised,” added Rep. Katrina J Smith, a Republican from Palermo.
But they had faced long odds in seeking retribution against the Democrat.
The proposal called for a panel to investigate Bellows’ actions and report back to the 151-member House for an impeachment vote. If the proposal had moved forward, then there would have been a trial in the 35-member Senate, where Democrats also have a majority.
Rep. Kevin O’Connell, of Brewer, said Bellows “faithfully discharged her oath of office.” He called her “an honorable person” who should not be removed from office for “simply doing her job.”
“You might disagree with her decision, and some folks do. But every government official has an obligation to follow the law and fulfill their oath to the Constitution,” he said.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment prohibits those who “engaged in insurrection” from holding office. Some legal scholars say the post-Civil War clause applies to Trump for his role in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election and encouraging his backers to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
So far, Colorado is the only other state to bar Trump from the ballot. That decision by the Colorado Supreme Court is currently under appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
On Monday, Trump’s lawyers asked a judge to pause his appeal of Bellow’s decision to allow time for a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could render it moot. But the attorney general’s office, which is representing Bellows, objected to the effort to delay the legal appeal.
Bellows, 48, is Maine’s 50th secretary of state and the first woman to hold the office, beginning in the role in January 2021 after being elected by lawmakers.
The former state senator also served as executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine from 2005 to 2013 and worked on successful drives to legalize same-sex marriage, same-day voter registration and ranked choice voting.
While Maine has just four electoral votes, it’s one of two states to split them, so the state could have outsized importance in what’s expected to be a close race. Trump earned one of Maine’s electors when he was elected in 2016 and again in 2020 when he lost reelection. (Associated Press).
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News from Iowa.
An 11 year old boy, nicknamed “Smiley,” was killed in a school shooting in Iowa. Seven other students were injured by the shooter who killed himself.
“You must be registered as a Republican to participate in the Republican caucus or as a Democrat to participate in the Democratic caucus. Iowa Democrats have dramatically changed the way they caucus in 2024 and instead of an in-person system will do an entirely mail-in system.”
“Iowa Democrats can request an absentee presidential preference card, which functions like a ballot, that they can fill out and return to the state party until March 5, when results will be announced.”
“If you're registered under a third party or no party, you won't be able to caucus, unless you change your registration to Republican or Democrat, which you can do on caucus night.” (Source. Des Moines Register)
Will Democrats change to vote anti-Trump, perhaps for Chris Christie? We can dream.
One more thing.
@BillKristol had the same dream.
Undeclared NH voters should vote against Trump in the GOP primary on Jan. 23.
But Iowans, you can help stop Trump too! All Iowans—including independents and Democrats—can attend their local GOP caucus on Monday Jan. 15, register for the day as Republican, and vote against Trump.
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Voting from abroad.
Pass this along.
Annual reminder for US citizens living abroad: you must request an absentee ballot & confirm your registration to vote from abroad EVERY YEAR. It's time to do that for 2024 here (takes 10 min): https://t.co/sfGIcZD0UG
Democrats can also vote in the primary through @DemsAbroad
A federal appeals court panel strongly suggested Tuesday that it would reject Donald Trump’s claims of immunity from criminal charges related to his effort to subvert the 2020 election.
With Trump looking on, the three judges expressed deep skepticism of his contention that a president could not be prosecuted — even for assassinating a rival or selling military secrets — if he were not first impeached and convicted by Congress.
“I think it’s paradoxical to say that his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed allows him to violate criminal law,” said Judge Karen Henderson, a George H.W. Bush appointee.
Despite that inclination, the judges — who also include Biden appointees Florence Pan and Michelle Childs — appeared divided during Tuesday’s oral argument over how to shape their decision. Their ruling, no matter where they land, is likely to trigger a further appeal to the Supreme Court for a final determination on whether Trump’s criminal trial in Washington, D.C. will take place this year.
That trial is currently scheduled to begin March 4, but it is likely to be postponed by the litigation over Trump’s immunity claims. His claims hinge on his argument that the charges against him, brought by special counsel Jack Smith, arose out of his official acts as president. Smith alleges that Trump tried to disenfranchise American voters and defraud the nation by spreading lies about the 2020 election and attempting to cling to power. (Politico)
What happens next in Trump’s immunity case?
The court has already moved the case along at an exceptionally brisk pace and is expected to make its decision fairly quickly by the standards of a typical appeal.
A federal appeals court in Washington has now heard arguments on former President Donald J. Trump’s sweeping claim that he is immune from prosecution on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election.
The court has already moved the case along at an exceptionally brisk pace and is expected to make its decision fairly quickly by the standards of a typical appeal.
Here’s a look at what could happen once that decision comes in.
What happens after the appeals court rules?
If the appeals court decides in Mr. Trump’s favor, Jack Smith, the special counsel leading the prosecution, will almost certainly challenge the loss in front of the Supreme Court, assuming the justices agreed to hear it.
But the more likely outcome is that the three-judge panel rules against Mr. Trump, rejecting his claims of immunity.
At that point, he could seek to have the entire circuit court hear the appeal — a move that, if nothing else, would eat up more time. If the full court declined to take the case or ruled against him, he, too, would most likely ask the Supreme Court to step in.
At that point, the court in theory could decline to hear the matter altogether and simply let the appeals court ruling stand. That option could be appealing to the justices if they want to avoid stepping directly into a highly charged political issue — just one of several they are likely to confront that could have a bearing on Mr. Trump’s chances of reclaiming the White House.
Were that to happen, the case would go back to Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, who is handling the underlying case in Federal District Court in Washington, and she would begin to prepare for the trial, which is set to start on March 4. Her handling of the case so far suggests that she would move along at a rapid clip.
If, however, the Supreme Court were to take the case, the justices would have to make another critical decision: how fast to hear it. It is possible they could consider the case quickly and return a ruling on the immunity issue by — or even well before — the end of their current term in June.
But Mr. Smith has expressed concern in filings to the court that the justices might not be able to complete their work before the end of this term. If they do not, the case would drag into the next term, which does not get underway until October, too late to resolve before Election Day.
What does all of this mean for the start of the trial?
If the appeals court returns a quick decision against Mr. Trump and the Supreme Court lets that decision stand, the trial might be delayed, but perhaps only by a matter of weeks. Under this scenario, it is conceivable that the case could go in front of a jury by April or May, well before the heart of the campaign season.
If the Supreme Court takes the case and hears it on a fast-tracked schedule, the trial could be delayed for somewhat longer — perhaps by a matter of months. That would mean a trial could be held over the summer, a fraught possibility given that the Republican nominating convention is in July and that Mr. Trump, assuming he is the party’s nominee, could be kept from doing much traditional campaigning for the duration of the trial.
But if the Supreme Court takes the case and follows a leisurely pace in considering it, there might not be a trial at all before the general election in November. In that case, voters would not have the chance to hear the evidence in the case against Mr. Trump before making their choice — and a President Trump could try to make sure they never get that chance by attempting to order the charges to be dropped. (New York Times).
Let’s highlight the absurdity of this.
Judge [Pan]: "I asked you a yes or no question. Could a president who ordered S.E.A.L. Team 6 to assassinate a political rival (and is) not impeached, would he be subject to criminal prosecution?"
Trump attorney says "qualified yes -- if he is impeached and convicted first."
One more thing. From Manu Raju, CNN.
I asked McConnell today if he stood by his claim that presidents are “not immune” from prosecution.
“Well, my view of the presidential race is that I choose not to get involved and comment about any of the people running for the Republican nomination.”
But he later said — when asked about Rs who call J6 prisoners “hostages” — “Let me say this about January 6. remarks that I made on February 13, of ‘21 about how I felt about January 6th. I recently reread it. I stand by what I said,” he said.
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France Has a Historic New Prime Minister. Here’s What to Know.
Emmanuel Macron appointed Gabriel Attal as France’s youngest ever Prime Minister on Tuesday, after previous Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced her resignation on Monday.
Attal is also the first openly gay person to hold the job, making his selection a historic first in multiple categories. He has a civil partnership with Stéphane Sejourné, a French Member of the European Parliament.
Attal previously served as France’s education minister, where he instituted new performance metrics to measure children’s academic performances and implemented a controversial ban on Abayas in schools.
His appointment comes months before the European Parliament elections in June.
According to an IPSOS poll that was released in December, Attal is the French politician with the highest approval rating. He has rapidly climbed the ranks of French politics over the past 10 years, starting out as an obscure advisor in the health ministry.
“When I appointed [Gabriel Attal] as education minister, I knew he had the necessary energy and courage for the task,” Macron said during a TV interview in December. “I’m proud to have nurtured new talents.”
But experts say Attal will grapple with the same challenges as his predecessor. That includes a resurgent right that looks set to make gains in the June European Parliament elections and the lack of a majority in the French parliament that makes enacting Macron's agenda difficult.
Macron has also seen his own popularity decrease in the last year and a half, after mass protests erupted over his pension reform plans and members of his own centrist Renaissance party vehemently opposed an immigration bill he hoped to pass.
The French President has a 30% approval rating, according to Politico's poll of polls.
(JTA) — France’s newest prime minister is getting attention for the two firsts he brings to the job: Gabriel Attal, at 34, is the country’s youngest ever prime minister, and its first to be openly gay.
He says another facet of his identity also shapes him: His late father’s Jewishness.
Attal’s mother raised him and his siblings in her Russian Orthodox Christian faith. But his father, the film producer Yves Attal, was Jewish, born in Paris to Tunisian Jewish and European Jewish parents.
“My father said to me, ‘Perhaps you’re Orthodox but you’ll feel Jewish all your life, mainly because you’ll suffer antisemitism because of your name,’” Attal told Liberation in 2019. Attal is a common North African Jewish name and would be recognized as such in France, where there are large populations of Tunisian and Algerian Jews.
Attal told Le Monde last year that he is “not a stranger to transcendence” and still celebrates Orthodox Easter, but he no longer considers himself a religious believer in part because his father, who had relatives deported during the Holocaust, would tell him, “God died at Auschwitz.”
A rising star in President Emmanuel Macron’s center-right Renaissance party, Attal was education minister until Tuesday morning, when Macron selected him to replace Elisabeth Borne as prime minister. Borne resigned over differences with Macron over immigration after Macron backed legislation that made it easier to deport foreigners in France.
The previous youngest prime minister is Laurent Fabius, a Socialist who was 37 when he started his two-year stint in 1984. Fabius was born to Jewish parents who converted to Roman Catholicism and raised him in that religion. (The Forward).
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Abyssinian Baptist Church rejects woman seeking to be its senior pastor.
Duke Divinity School celebrate its 90th Baccalaureate service, May 14, 2016, in Duke Chapel with Eboni Marshall Turman, then a professor at Duke and now a professor at Yale Divinity School, preaching. Marshall Turman filed a lawsuit in December 2023 accusing Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York of sex discrimination for rejecting her application to become Abyssinian's First female pastor.
Over its 215-year history, the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City has earned a reputation as the flagship of the Black church in America.
Based in Harlem, it became a famous megachurch with the political rise of the Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. perhaps the most influential of the many men who have led the congregation. Powell, pastor from 1937 to 1972, served in Congress for 26 years.
Among the countless believers making Abyssinian their spiritual home was Eboni Marshall Turman, who came to believe she could become the first woman to be the church’s senior pastor. She rose through the ranks and in 2007 became the youngest pastor ordained in Abyssinian’s history.
After longtime senior pastor Calvin O. Butts III died in 2022, Marshall Turman — by then a professor at Yale Divinity School — was among dozens of people who applied to fill the vacancy.
She was full of optimism that she would be chosen. Instead, she wasn’t even a finalist, and is so convinced that sexism was the key factor that she has now filed a lawsuit in federal court accusing Abyssinian and its search committee of gender discrimination.
Along with the church, the lawsuit — filed Dec. 29 — specifically names the search committee chair, Valerie S. Grant, accusing her of behaving inappropriately by asking Marshall Turman questions and pressing issues not broached with her male counterparts.
“Gender discrimination motivated the decision not to hire (Marshall Turman), a fact discussed openly during meetings of the Committee, including by Grant and another Committee member, who said that Abyssinian would only hire a woman as its Senior Pastor ‘over my dead body,’” the complaint states.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages from the defendants for “lost wages, lost benefits, other economic damages, shame, humiliation, embarrassment, and mental distress,” as well as an injunction forbidding any hiring-related gender discrimination.
The Harlem church and Grant, who also is a board member of Morehouse College in Atlanta, disputed the lawsuit’s discrimination accusations.
“While she and others were considered for the role because of their impressive backgrounds, she ultimately fell short of some key requirements for the role, where other finalist candidates prevailed and moved forward in the process,” said Abyssinian spokesperson LaToya Evans. In her statement, she said the church is prepared to defend itself against the allegations.
Grant, who described the search process as rigorous, said Marshall Turman was one of 11 people who advanced from a 47-applicant field. While some committee members may have felt she was the strongest candidate, she did not receive enough votes to advance to the next round, Grant said.
Due to varied beliefs on whether women can have authority over men, the Black church broadly has been a minefield for women aspiring to pastoral leadership. Beyond that, the question of who gets to preach from the pulpit has caused deep rifts in denominations and congregations all across Christian America.
Marshall Turman, who did not respond to requests from The Associated Press for comment, researches gender politics in Black churches and related issues. It also is the focus of her forthcoming book.
“I further interrogate theological erasure and violence against Black women in Black churches,” she said about “Black Women’s Burden: Male Power, Gender Violence, and the Scandal of African American Social Christianity” in a September post on Facebook.
“Currently, life is tracking my theory.”
The remaining Abyssinian finalists are men. The lawsuit gives reasons why Marshall Turman believed she stood a real chance of filling Abyssinian’s top job, including being told by committee members that she was the obvious pick and being held in high esteem by Calvin Butts, her ministry mentor.
Grant said the process “was designed to be fair to everyone.”
“I have an issue with people characterizing this process as discriminatory and designed to deny opportunities to women,” she said. “It’s simply not the case.”
The process was the same for every candidate, she said, adding that her job was to tell the committee to set their biases aside. Some wanted an older person, or a younger one; some wanted the candidate to be married and others wanted them to have existing connections to Abyssinian, she said.
She took issue with the lawsuit’s accusations against her own interviewing of Marshall Turman. Grant explained that every candidate was asked a series of common questions, and additional ones tailored to each person were asked as well. Grant said Marshall Turman was asked certain questions that other candidates did not get “because she was the only woman” candidate.
When Butts died in October 2022, after a bout with cancer, Marshall Turman felt that God had called her to the moment.
She wrote an application to Abyssinian’s senior pastorate that reflected her credentials, including a Master of Divinity and doctorate from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and experience on the Abyssinian staff as a minister for Christian education.
Butts called her the best assistant he had ever had, and the smartest, too, according to the lawsuit.
Marshall Turman was among those invited to apply.
But after not making it to the final round, she alleged in a Facebook post on Sept. 23, 2023, that the hiring process was tainted by secrecy and gender bias. She contended that Abyssinian deacons had worked alongside “an energized group of Morehouse supporters and committee leadership to systematically eliminate all female applicants from the pool of candidates.”
“I write only to underscore that gender bias has no place in God’s house,” Marshall Turman continued in her post. “Moreover, gender bias is illegal in the City of New York in 2023 no matter the prior legacy of the organization involved.”
Among the remaining contenders for the open senior pastor job are the Rev. Dr. Kevin Johnson, formerly of the historic Bright Hope Baptist Church in North Philadelphia, and Derrick Harkins, who was recently working for Marcia Fudge at the U.S. Department for Housing and Urban Development.
For years, as detailed in the book, “Witness: Two Hundred Years of African American Faith and Practice at the Abyssinian Baptist Church of Harlem, New York,” women’s treatment in the church has been an unsettled issue among its members.
In her book, “Toward a Womanist Ethic of Incarnation: Black Bodies, the Black Church and the Council of Chalcedon,” Marshall Turman critiqued the Morehouse social gospel tradition, even interviewing Butts.
In terms of Black woman as pastoral leaders, Butts told Turman that at Morehouse the thought of women as pastoral leaders had never crossed his mind. “It was not an issue at Morehouse,” said Butts, in an excerpt from the book. “I just never even thought about it.”
She described finding herself in a world where Black women aren’t listened to, but also one in which their labor is essential to Black survival. (Associated Press).
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