U.S. District Court Judge William O. Bertelsman will hold oral argument in Sweeney v Crigler, e.d., 2:19cv-46, on Thursday, January 9, 2020, at 1 p.m. This is the case that challenges the 2019 Kentucky law that said that candidates of parties that nominate by convention must file a declaration of candidacy in January of election years. The law only applied to candidates for state and local partisan office, not federal office.

The law was enjoined earlier this year, and now the constitutionality of the law will be considered.

On December 20, New Jersey U.S. House member Jeff Van Drew changed his registration from Democratic to Republican. He represents the 2nd district, which comprises southern New Jersey, including Atlantic City. See this story. Thanks to John Geyer for the link.

December 18 was the deadline for presidential primary candidates to file in Ohio. Here is the list, from the Secretary of State’s web page, which mixed Democrats and Republicans together. Fourteen Democrats and two Republicans filed.

No one filed in the Libertarian presidential primary. Candidates need a statewide petition and then small individual petitions for delegate candidates.