Little-known candidate files another lawsuit to block Trump from New Hampshire ballot – WMUR Manchester
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A little-known presidential candidate has filed a complaint to try to get former President Donald Trump off the ballot in New Hampshire.
Candidate John Anthony Castro initially filed a lawsuit in October to bar Trump from the primary ballot, saying he isn’t eligible to run because of the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment. A judge dismissed the lawsuit, but he has now filed a new complaint.
Castro said the lawsuit is about principles, saying that he has spent money to get his name on the ballot in New Hampshire, and keeping Trump’s name on the ballot is costing him votes.
“He lacked standing, so he has to show that his own rights were affected by that,” said Daniel Pi, assistant professor at UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law. “He doesn’t have a right to win the New Hampshire primary.”
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The states of Maine and Colorado have blocked Trump from their primary ballots, though those decisions have been paused pending appeals.
In an appeal filed Tuesday, lawyers for former President Donald Trump say Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is biased and has no legal right to take him off the state’s ballot. But she’s standing by her decision.
“I swore an oath to uphold the constitution and the rule of law,” Bellow said. “Those were my sole considerations in this hearing and in my decision.”
Last month, Bellows ruled that Trump’s name shouldn’t be on the ballot, saying that he was disqualified to hold office under the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause.
“My role, my duty was for the constitution,” Bellows said.
Meanwhile, a hearing on Castro’s latest effort is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday in federal court in Concord.
But legal experts say this likely won’t move forward, and as for the 14th Amendment issue, the country’s highest court will likely be the ultimate decider.
“This is going to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court and they’re going to probably make a blanket decision for the whole country,” Pi said.
Castro has filed more than two dozen federal lawsuits across the country.
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