Maine candidate asks court to block ruling

AUGUSTA – Independent U.S. Senate hopeful Herbert Hoffman is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block a state high court ruling that effectively removed his name from Maine’s November ballot.

Hoffman’s attorney Thursday filed a 38-page brief asking the nation’s highest court to stay the Maine Supreme Judicial Court’s ruling that invalidated some nominating petitions Hoffman needed in order to get on the ballot. It asks the court to rule by Aug. 29.

The request cites First Amendment rights of Maine voters to nominate a candidate for federal office.

In a separate filing, Hoffman asks the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to stay its own ruling until Aug. 29, pending the higher court’s review of the matter.

An attorney for Hoffman says the Aug. 29 date was chosen because that’s the deadline for state election officials to complete the format for the November ballot.