On August 20, the New York Supreme Court in Brooklyn ruled in favor of the Fulani wing of the New York Independence Party, and against the party’s statewide officers. The case is Conroy v State Committee of Independence Party, no. 700025-07. The issue is whether the state committee of the Independence Party could deprive some duly constituted county units of the party from controlling who runs in the party’s primary. The state party had passed a bylaw saying that upstate counties could continue to enjoy that right, but that the New York city units of the party could not. The court ruled that the state party bylaw conflicts with the state election code. Thanks to Bill Van Allen for this news.
on Sept. 11, 2007 The Appellate Division, Second Department modified the order in the above case (Docket No. 2007-7700) giving thde State Executive Committee the right to issue the “wilson-pakula” authorizations for all non city-wide candidates in New York City. Essentially, the only authorizations the Fulani wing City Committees can now issue is for Mayor, Comptroller and Public Advocate in 2009, and that is only if the Fulani wing is successful in reconstituting in 2008.