On October 9, U.S. District Court Judge Emily C. Marks issued a four-page order in Libertarian Party of Alabama v Merrill, strongly urging both sides to talk to each other in hopes that the case can be mediated without the need for a judicial opinion. This is the case in which the Libertarian Party challenges the policy of the state that the qualified parties receive a free list of the registered voters, but unqualified parties must pay approximately $35,000 for the list.

The precedents are entirely on the side of the Libertarian Party, and in 1970 the U.S. Supreme Court summarily affirmed the decision of a 3-judge U.S. District Court in New York, that if a state gives a free list to the qualified parties, it must also give it free to unqualified parties that are trying to petition to get on the ballot. That case was Socialist Workers Party v Rockefeller.

The Associated Press is now reporting that Don Blankenship will seek the Constitution Party presidential nomination. See this story.

On October 21, the California Secretary of State issued this press release, confirming that the Republican, Green, and Peace & Freedom Parties will not let independents vote in their 2020 primaries. The same three parties made the same decision in 2016.

The California Republican Party did let independents vote in its 2004 presidential primary, but in that primary, President George W. Bush was the only name on the Republican presidential primary ballot.