Procedural Win in New Jersey Ballot Format Case

Posted on by May 22, 2026
2

On May 22, U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi ruled that the plaintiffs in Kim v Hanlon, 3:24cv-1098, have standing to continue arguing that the old New Jersey discriminatory primary ballot access format is unconstitutional. The judge had already enjoined it in 2024, and the legislature had improved the primary ballot format in 2025. But, the new law still has flaws that the plaintiffs object to. The state had tried to get the case dismissed on the grounds that the plaintiffs lack standing, but the new ruling says the candidates still do have standing, because they have said they expect to run in future primaries. Here is the order.

Wisconsin Lawsuit on Ban for Out-of-State Circulators

Posted on by May 22, 2026
12

A federal lawsuit against the new Wisconsin ban on out-of-state circulators is pending in U.S. District Court. The Wisconsin legislature has asked to intervene in the case in support of the law, but the judge has not yet ruled on whether to allow that. The deadline for the brief of the state is due June 4. The plaintiffs are not seeking injunctive relief but they are seeking to have the law declared unconstitutional. Americans for Citizen Voting PAC v Wolfe, e.d., 2:26cv-786.

Michigan Lawsuits Against Ban on Fusion

Posted on by May 23, 2026
8

On May 21, the Michigan Common Sense Party and the Michigan Libertarian Party filed a lawsuit in state court against the state’s ban on fusion. The case is filed in the Court of Claims. Michigan Common Sense Party v Benson, 26-000106-MZ. The lawsuit depends on the state constitution. There are now cases in four states against the ban on two parties jointly nominating the same candidate. The others are Wisconsin, Kansas, and New Jersey.

On the same day, the same plaintiffs filed an almost identical case in the Circuit Court of Ingham County. It has the same name. Here is the filing.