New York election law has for decades contained a provision making it possible for a qualified political party to disenroll individual voters, if the party can show that the voters joined the party even though they are not in sympathy with its ideas.

The Suffolk County, New York Conservative Party is in the process of using this law to disenroll about 2,000 police officers and their families. The party believes that these officers enrolled in the party so as to influence its candidate selection process in the county sheriff’s race. Some of the police officers tried to enjoin the party from carrying out the steps needed under the law, but Supreme Court Justice Thomas Whelan ruled on June 11 that the case is not ripe. Instead, the police must wait until the party has finished the process of expulsion. Byrne v Walsh, 16947-09. Thanks to Jack Dean for this news.