On January 25, 2013, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals denied Ralph Nader’s request for a rehearing in Nader v Serody, 09-cv-906. This means that the individuals who challenged Ralph Nader’s petition in Pennsylvania in 2004 are now free to obtain $56,928 from Nader’s bank account in Washington, D.C. However, the order does not go into effect until April 25, to give Nader an opportunity to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to block the fund seizure. It is possible Nader will indeed ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear this case.

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals had ruled against Nader in this matter on May 10, 2012, but Nader had asked for a reconsideration, which had been pending for over eight months. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals is analogous to the State Supreme Court of the District of Columbia; it is the highest court in the District’s own court system, and should not be confused with the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit.