Maine

No criminal charges over Maine secretary of state’s Trump ballot ruling | Fact check

Published

2 years ago

May 25, 2024

Press Room

No criminal charges over Maine secretary of state’s Trump ballot ruling | Fact check

The claim: Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows convicted of treason, sentenced to death

A May 20 Real Raw News article claims Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows faces serious legal trouble for a decision she made against former President Donald Trump.

“The U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps convicted and sentenced to death Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Wednesday for intentionally misconstruing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution to stop President Trump’s name from appearing on the state’s primary ballot last December,” the article begins.

The article was shared more than 100 times on Facebook according to CrowdTangle, a social media analytics tool.

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Our rating: False

There is no credible evidence Bellows was ever charged with a crime, much less convicted of one and sentenced. She appeared in public after the date of her supposed arrest. Real Raw News frequently publishes false claims about the arrests of high-profile figures.

Bellows targeted with swatting call for ballot decision, but arrest claim is baseless

In December 2023, Maine voters challenged Trump’s nomination petition, saying he engaged in insurrection against the U.S. for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

After a hearing, Bellows decided that Trump was ineligible to appear on the ballot due to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars people from holding several public offices if they took an oath to support the Constitution and later “shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same.”

Bellows became the second secretary of state to remove Trump, following Jena Griswold of Colorado. However, she reversed that move in March after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Colorado’s objection.

But claims that she was arrested for her initial decision are baseless. Bellows has been seen in public after May 15, the date of her supposed arrest.

She appeared in a livestreamed interview May 17 with The Maine Monitor, a nonpartisan publication affiliated with the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting. The nearly hour-long interview covered the election process in the state.

Emily Cook, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s office, told USA TODAY the Real Raw News story is “just fiction.”

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While Bellows hasn’t been arrested, she did face backlash for her initial decision. On Dec. 29, 2023, her home was swatted – an illegal practice that involves making a phony call for help to cause a large number of police officers to respond to the home.

Bellows wrote about the situation in an Instagram post the following day and noted that her address had also been publicized online.

Real Raw News is a serial spreader of misinformation that often publishes fabricated stories about “white hats” trying to undermine “the deep state” by arresting government officials. USA TODAY has previously debunked numerous other claims about the arrests of high-profile figures stemming from Real Raw News.

USA TODAY reached out to Real Raw News but did not immediately receive a response.

Our fact-check sources:

Emily Cook, May 24, Email exchange with USA TODAY
Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Dec. 28, 2023, Maine Secretary of State Decision in Challenge to Trump Presidential Primary Petitions
Maine Department of the Secretary of State (YouTube), Dec. 15, 2023, Hearing Regarding Challenges to Trump Primary Nomination Petition
The Maine Monitor, accessed May 24, About Us

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USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.

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Maine

Maine business leaders speak out against data privacy bill

Published

9 hours ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

Maine business leaders speak out against data privacy bill

PORTLAND (WGME) — Business leaders gathered in Portland Tuesday to speak out against a data privacy bill in Augusta.

If passed, the bill would protect Mainers’ online data from being bought and sold to bigger companies like Meta and Google by establishing strict standards for data collection and giving consumers the right to legal action.

But some business leaders say there could be a big downside: blocking businesses from reaching potential customers.

“It’s been stated that the legislation before us does not end targeted advertising. No, it evaporates the data targeted advertising relies upon,” Maine State Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Patrick Woodcock said.

The data privacy bill passed both the House and the Senate last week, although the vote was very close in the Senate.

It now faces additional votes before possibly going to the governor’s desk.

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Maine

Hermon man accused of assaulting and threatening Bangor woman with a gun

Published

21 hours ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

Hermon man accused of assaulting and threatening Bangor woman with a gun

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TTY 1-800-437-1220. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.

A Hermon man allegedly assaulted a Bangor woman and threatened her with a gun.

Garrett Foss, 31, has been charged with domestic violence aggravated assault, domestic violence criminal threatening with priors and with a dangerous weapon, criminal restraint, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and violating his conditions of release, according to Katy England, a spokesperson for the Bangor Police Department.

Foss allegedly violently assaulted the woman at a Broad Street residence Sunday night and threatened her with a gun, England said.

He was taken to the Penobscot County Jail, where he remained Tuesday morning, according to the jail’s website.

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Maine

Supreme Court won’t hear Maine case about parental rights on gender in schools

Published

1 day ago

March 30, 2026

Press Room

Supreme Court won’t hear Maine case about parental rights on gender in schools

The nation’s highest court will not take up a Maine mother’s lawsuit against a Damariscotta-based school district, which she argued violated her parental rights by not disclosing information about her child’s gender transition.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday released the latest round of cases that it has agreed to take, and those it rejected. It denied the appeal from Amber Lavigne, whose case had been dismissed by lower courts.

Lavigne, of Newcastle, first sued the Great Salt Bay Community School Board in April 2023, alleging it violated her parental rights and the 14th Amendment by allowing her child to use a different name and pronouns in school than they had been assigned at birth. She also said school employees provided the 13-year-old with a chest binder, an undergarment often used by transgender individuals to flatten breasts.

The district has long maintained that its policies were in accordance with state law.

A federal judge dismissed the case in May 2024, writing that Lavigne had no claims that were eligible for relief. She appealed that ruling to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, which upheld the lower court’s dismissal. In December, she asked the Supreme Court to take up the case.

Lavigne has been represented by the Goldwater Institute, a conservative Arizona-based think tank.

Nearly 20 states, all led by Republicans, submitted briefs supporting Lavigne’s appeal. They argued school districts do not have the right to withhold information that affects the rights of parents to be the primary decision-makers in raising their children.

The court has taken up multiple cases this term related to transgender rights and public school districts, including two lawsuits about the rights of transgender athletes to participate in sports teams aligned with their gender identity.

In a statement Monday, Lavigne’s attorney Adam Shelton said he was disappointed with the court’s decision.

“It signals to schools across the country, and especially in Maine, that hiding information from parents does not run afoul of the Constitution,” Shelton said. Lavigne was not available for an interview.

Melissa Hewey, an attorney for the Great Salt Bay Community School Board, noted in a statement that Lavigne’s case has now been dismissed at every level.

“It is gratifying to all our clients that this claim, which had no merit from day one, is finally over,” she said.

This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Riley Board can be reached at rboard@pressherald.com.

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