On Sunday, March 17, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said he believes New Jersey’s discriminatory ballot format in primaries is unconstitutional, and therefore he won’t let the state intervene in the lawsuit to defend that ballot format. This leaves it to attorneys for most of New Jersey’s counties to defend the law. See this story.

Governor Phil Murphy says he believes the law is constitutional. The case, Kim v Hanlon, 3:24cv-1098, has a hearing on Monday, March 18, before U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi.

All but two New Jersey counties use the same discriminatory ballot format in the general election. The Democratic and Republican Parties have party columns of their own, and their names are prominently at the head of those columns. But all other candidates, independents and the nominees of minor parties, are squeezed helter-skelter into other columns that are labelled “Nomination by Petition.” If the primary ballot access ballot format is held unconstitutional, it should be possible to get reform for the general election ballot format also. Thanks to David Sturrock for the link.