U.S. District Court Judge Paul Barbadoro will hold a hearing on April 20, Monday, at 10 a.m., over whether the Republican National Committee should be allowed to intervene in Libertarian Party of New Hampshire v Gardner. The Libertarian Party argues that the intervention came too late, and if it is allowed, the outcome in the case will be delayed. The lawsuit was filed on July 22, 2014.
The issue is the 2014 law that makes it illegal for a group to petition for party status during an odd year. Obviously, the longer it takes to decide the case, the less time there will be to take advantage of the outcome for 2016, assuming the case wins. The Libertarian Party also argues that the Secretary of State and his attorneys are capable of defending the law in court, and the Republican National Committee has nothing valuable to add to the case. Thanks to Darryl Perry for this news.
The bill that prevented a party from collecting petitions before the election year, HB1542, was passed in 2014. There was a law passed in 2009 that prevents a candidate from collecting petitions before the election year.