Five Candidates Seeking the Nomination of a Minor Party Will Debate Each Other on February 29

Free & Equal will host a presidential debate in New York city on Thursday, February 29, at 8 p.m. eastern time. The debate includes two candidates who are seeking the nomination of the Libertarian Party (Lars Mapstead and Chase Oliver), and two candidates who are seeking the nomination of the Peace & Freedom Party (Claudia de la Cruz and Jasmine Sherman). The debate also includes Jill Stein, who is the front-runner for the Green Party nomination.

The debate will be live-screened on Rumble and Crowdpac, and is being held in Chelsea TV Studios.

It is somewhat rare for minor party candidates from diverse political perspectives to debate each other.

North Dakota Voters Likely to Vote on Initiative that would Add Maximum Age Limit for Congressional Candidates

On February 12, sponsors of an initiative to impose maximum age limits on congressional candidates submitted their petition to the North Dakota Secretary of State. It needs 31,164 signatures and almost 42,000 signatures were submitted, so it is very likely to qualify for the ballot.

The initiative would not allow anyone to run for Congress if he or she were to attain the age of 81 during the term of office. If the voters pass it, it would probably be held invalid under the 1995 Supreme Court decision that says that neither states nor Congress can add to the constitutional qualifications for Congress that are contained in Article One.

The initiative sponsors understand that, but hope that a new court case could persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse its 1995 decision. The decision had been 5-4 and the Court membership has changed since 1995.

Minnesota Supreme Court Explains Why it Allowed Donald Trump on Republican Presidential Primary Ballot

On February 7, the Minnesota Supreme Court issued an opinion in Growe v Simon, A23-1354, explaining why it allowed Donald Trump on the Minnesota Republican presidential primary ballot. The order to allow him on the ballot had been issued in November last year, but only now has the Court explained its reasoning.

The opinion says that the choice of which presidential candidates appear on a primary ballot is for the party to decide. As to the general election, the court said it would not rule on that because it is too early, and it is not certain that Trump will be the Republican nominee.

Legal Marijuana Now Party Files Brief in Minnesota Supreme Court

As has previously been reported, recently the state chair of the Minnesota Democratic Party sued the Secretary of State to force the removal of the Legal Marijuana Now Party, on the grounds that it couldn’t possibly have held all the caucuses that it needs to have held in order to meet the new, severe definition of a qualified party. Martin v Simon, A24-0216.

On February 14, the Legal Marijuana Now Party filed this brief, as an interested party.