On December 20, a Case Management Report was filed with the U.S. District Court in Tallahassee, Florida, in Jacobson v Detzner, n.d., 4:18cv-262. This is the case filed earlier this year by the national Democratic Party against the Florida law that says the party that won the last gubernatorial election always gets the top line on the ballot. The Democrats had suspended their lawsuit, waiting to see if they won the governorship last month. They did not win, so they are putting the lawsuit back on track.

Democrats want the trial to start on May 27, 2019. The state prefers that it start in June 2019. The judge will soon decide on a date. The trial will consider expert testimony on whether being listed first on a general election ballot is helpful. These cases are always expensive, but the Democratic Party has the resources to bring in political scientists who have studied the effect of ballot order.