On January 11, a status conference was held in U.S. District Court in Constitution Party of Pennsylvania v Cortes, e.d., 5:12cv-2726. At the hearing the attorneys for Pennsylvania state government said they would consent to dropping the county distribution requirement for statewide minor party and independent candidate petitions. Presumably the judge will soon prepare a court order, setting out this idea. The distribution requirement only existed (during 2016) because the judge had written it into the 2016 settlement. But then the Third Circuit ruled recently that county distribution requirements for statewide petitions are very likely unconstitutional, and sent the case back to settle that point.

The county distribution requirement only applies to state office, not President or U.S. Senate. It requires 250 signatures from each of ten counties, on top of the requirement for 5,000 signatures statewide.