On December 24, filing closed for candidates in the Missouri presidential primaries. Here is the final list. On the last day for filing, two candidates filed for the Constitution Party. Therefore, there are now three states so far that will have contested Constitution Party presidential primaries. The other two so far are Idaho and North Carolina. This is not necessarily a final list of states, because there are states for which filing hasn’t closed yet.
The new Minnesota presidential primary law lets parties have sole power to determine which presidential candidates will appear on their presidential primary ballot. As noted earlier, Rocky De La Fuente and a voter who wants to vote for him sued in the Minnesota Supreme Court earlier this month, because without court intervention, the only name on the Republican primary ballot will be President Donald Trump.
On December 18, the State Supreme Court accepted the case and set a briefing schedule. It also invited the Republican Party and the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party to file amicus briefs. On December 23, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party said it would file an amicus. Until the amicus is filed, though, no one outside of the party will know which side the party is on.
The case is De La Fuente v Simon, A19-1994.
On December 20, the Texas State Court of Appeals, 14th district, issued an order in Hughs v Dikeman, 14-19-969-cv. This is the case over the new law that requires candidates seeking the nomination of a party that nominates by convention to pay a filing fee, when the individual notifies the party that he or she is seeking a nomination. The two-page order stays the trial court order that enjoined the fees. It also requires that the state file a brief by January 6, 2020; and that the Libertarian Party plaintiffs file their brief by January 10, 2020.
The three judges on the case in the Court of Appeals are Jerry Zimmerer, Charles Spain, and Meagan Hassan. All are Democrats, as is the trial court judge.
Here is a Detroit News story about the December 22 decision that invalidated the Michigan law requiring 30,000 signatures for statewide independents.
The Maine Republican presidential primary ballot will only list President Donald Trump. All candidates needed 2,000 signatures of registered Republicans. No one else submitted a petition, not even William Weld. This shows how difficult the Maine petition requirement is for primary ballot access for statewide office.
