On May 27, the Lousiana legislature passed HB 167. It extends the deadline for qualified parties to certify the names of their presidential and vice-presidential nominees from August 18 to August 25.
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On May 4, proponents of a Michigan initiative filed a federal lawsuit to gain relief from the May 27 petition deadline. They have several hundred thousand signatures but still need another 100,000, and the deadline was May 27. The initiative concerns restoring credit to prisoners for good time, to shorten a sentence. That was the policy before 1998, but an initiative that year eliminated credit for good time.
The case is Sawari Media LLC v Whitmer, e.d., 4:20cv-11246. There will be a hearing in early June. Here is the Complaint. The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Leitman, an Obama appointee. Thanks to Thomas Jones for this news.
This Minnesota story features a Veterans Party nominee for Minnesota legislature. It describes the law that requires all general election petitions, except presidential petitions, to be completed in a two-week period. The deadline for the non-presidential petitions is June 2. That deadline, and the two-week window, are being challenged by the pending Libertarian Party lawsuit in U.S. District Court.
On May 27, U.S. District Court Judge Kristine Baker held a trial on Whitfield v Thurston, e.d., 4:20cv-466. This is the case filed by two independent candidates in Arkansas. They seek ballot access relief due to the health crisis. They also challenge the May 1 petition deadline on general terms, and the requirement that all signatures be collected in the 90 days just prior to the deadline. See this story.
U.S. District Court Judge Peter Welte will hear Sinner v Jeager, 3:20cv-76, on Thursday, June 4, in Fargo, at 2 p.m. This is the case over ballot access relief for initiatives, relating to the health crisis.