On January 12, the Republican National Committee filed an amicus curiae brief in the New York primary ballot access for Delegate to Party Judicial Nominating Conventions. The Republican brief pours scorn on the 2nd circuit’s conclusion that collecting 12,000 valid signatures of party members in only 37 days is a severe burden.
The record shows that the only slates of Delegate candidates who succeed in getting on primary ballots are slates supported by the Democratic and Republican machines. Nevertheless, the Republican brief says the idea that the ballot access burden is severe is “frivolous.” It says the petition requirement is “modest.”
It says the state has a prerogative to set the petition barriers as high as it does.
The U.S. Supreme Court will probably decide whether to take this case in early March.
I like that: “pours scorn”.
Having grown up in New York I am well aware of the charade of judicial conventions, but I still think that it should be the job of the legislature to change this process. Since there doesn’t seem to be a groundswell of public outrage, why are the courts interfering?
Howard Hirsch
Dayton, Nevada