On June 25, the Ohio Libertarian Party filed this brief in Libertarian Party of Ohio v Wilhem, 20-3585. This is the challenge to the Ohio law that does not permit members of any party, other than the two largest parties, from serving on the Ohio Elections Commission. The U.S. District Court had upheld the law.
On June 11, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed HB 167. It extends the deadline for a qualified party to notify the state of its presidential nominee from August 18 to August 25. The Republican Party won’t officially nominate for President until August 24.
On June 22, the Minnesota Libertarian Party appealed its ballot access case to the Eighth Circuit. Libertarian Party of Minnesota v Choi, 20-2244. The issues are the two-week petitioning period for non-presidential independent candidate petitions, and the language of the petition that says the signer does not expect to vote in the primary for the particular office that the petition deals with. The U.S. District Court had upheld both laws.
On June 24, U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Leitman refused to stay his own order of June 11 in SawariMedia LLC v Whitmer, e.d., 4:20cv-11246. The order had required Michigan to give some ballot access relief to initiative proponents, either a reduction in signatures, or a later deadline. Here is the order of June 24. The state has appealed to the Sixth Circuit.
The Eighth Circuit will hear Miller v Thurston, 20-2095, on Wednesday, July 8. This is the case on whether Arkansas initiatives should get ballot access relief due to the health crisis. The U.S. District Court had ruled in favor of the initiative proponents, and the state is appealing.
