On August 6, the 9th circuit issued an order setting a briefing schedule for Nader v Cronin, 08-16444. The issue in the case is whether a state may require six times as many signatures for a single independent presidential candidate as it requires for an entire ballot-qualified party. The case had been on hold during most of 2009 to see if the Hawaii legislature would amend the law. However, no legislator even introduced a bill on this subject. This case has been pending since 2004.

Nader’s brief is due in the 9th circuit on October 13; the state’s brief is due November 12. Any Nader rebuttal brief is due two weeks after the state’s brief.

The only other ballot access case from 2004 that is still alive, in any court, as far as is known, is the Pennsylvania Nader case over whether Nader must pay for the costs of determining that his 2004 petition lacked enough valid signatures. That case is in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The Court could issue an opinion at any time, or it might yet schedule another oral argument.