Last week, a U.S. District Court Judge in Mississippi ruled that if the Democratic Party doesn’t want an open primary, it has a right to a closed primary. His opinion puzzled and surprised everyone when it also said that when the state holds a closed primary for the Democratic Party, it must require voters at that primary to show photo-ID.

The Democratic Party, which brought the lawsuit, filed a request for reconsideration on that point. And the state has also said it will ask the judge to explain further. No one involved in the lawsuit had expected anything whatsoever about photo-ID at the polls.

The Democratic Party’s request for reconsideration also asks that the closed primary start in August 2007, not in April 2008. Mississippi holds primaries in August 2007 for all state office. Thanks to Steve Rankin for this news.