U.S. District Court Upholds New Jersey Law Concerning Ballot Labels in Primary Elections

On July 30, U.S. District Court Judge Freda L. Wolfson, a Bush Jr. appointee, upheld a New Jersey law concerning ballot labels in partisan primary elections. Mazo v Way, 3:20cv-8174. Here is the 37-page opinion. New Jersey primary ballots, unlike primary ballots in any other state, let candidates name an individual or an organization that has endorsed the candidate. But the law says if an individual or group is named, it must give permission to the candidate to use its name. The plaintiffs wanted to mention some individuals and groups that had not given permission, but the judge ruled against the candidates.

This case should not be confused with Conforti v Hanlon, another New Jersey case involving primary ballots that is pending before another U.S. District Court Judge. Conforti v Hanlon concerns the structure of the primary ballot, in which some candidates get better treatment than others.


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