On August 13, the New Mexico Supreme Court issued a one-sentence opinion in Miller v Padilla, S-1-SC-37171. It says the lower court opinion is affirmed. The case had been filed by independent candidate Carol Miller, who wanted to run for County Commission in Rio Arriba County as an independent. The New Mexico election law generally requires all non-presidential candidates to submit petitions, no matter whether they are running in a primary or in the general election. But a quirk in the law says members of major parties don’t need petitions to run in primaries for county office, yet everyone else does. Miller argued that the New Mexico State Constitution, which says elections shall be “free and equal”, meant that if members of major parties don’t need signatures, therefore no one should need them. But the lower court denied the case with no written opinion and now the State Supreme Court won’t write an opinion either.