In 2004, Ralph Nader’s petition in Pennsylvania was challenged by his political opponents. Under Pennsylvania’s unique challenge system, because the challengers won their case that Nader didn’t have enough valid signatures, the court said that Nader had to pay all the court costs associated with the petition verification process, a sum exceeding $80,000.

Recently, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals (which can be thought of as the highest court for the District’s own government), indicated that it wishes to hear oral argument in March or April in Serody v Nader. This is the case, which has been pending in the D.C. courts for years, over whether one of Ralph Nader’s banks in D.C. should release $30,000 of Nader’s funds to the challengers. Another bank in D.C. has already handed over another $30,000 of Nader’s funds to those challengers, and Serody v Nader also concerns whether that second bank was in error.

Because no one knew until 2009 that the Pennsylvania challengers illegally used state government resources for their challenge, this will be the first oral argument in any court in which the relevance of that illegal activity can be evaluated, in connection with the award of costs.