Early in 2017, various California voters, groups, and even a city, sued California alleging that because the population of California legislative districts is so great, the state is violating the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the citizens of each state a republican form of government. The lawsuit argues that because Assembly districts have almost 500,000 people, and State Senate districts almost 1,000,000, there is no ability for ordinary people to enjoy meaningful communication with their state legislators.

The case, Citizens for Fair Representation v Padilla, e.d., 2:17cv-973, had a hearing on September 8, and Judge Kimberly Mueller still hasn’t decided how the plaintiffs may amend their complaint or whether the case will get a 3-judge court.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder says he will call a special election to fill the vacant 13th district U.S. House seat. See this story. Michigan has more ballot-qualified parties than any other state in the midwest, and all of them will be able to nominate a candidate with no petition. Besides the two major parties, the Libertarian, Green, Constitution, Natural Law, and Working Class Parties are on the ballot. The name of the Constitution Party in Michigan is the U.S. Taxpayers Party. The state won’t let the party change its name. U.S. Taxpayers Party nationally changed its name to Constitution Party in 1999, and all the other states where it was on the ballot let it change its name, if the state party wanted to change its name.

On December 6, U.S. District Court Magistrate Mary Pat Thynge, a Bush Sr. appointee, struck down a Delaware state constitutional provision that says, “Three of the five Justices of the Supreme Court shall be of one major political party, and two of said Justices shall be of the other major political party.” Also struck down was a similar provision relating to Judges of the Superior Court. Adams v Carney, 1:17cv-181.

Here is the 14-page decision. It is based on U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have struck down laws that let states make hiring and firing decisions for government employees based on that employee’s party affiliation. Those past U.S. Supreme Court opinions do not apply to policy-making jobs, but the decision in Adams v Carney says judges aren’t policy-makers.

Delaware defines “major party” to be a group with registration membership of at least 5% of the state total. No party other then the Democratic and Republican Parties has ever been a “major party” in Delaware, in the entire history of the government-printed ballot.

The state tried to defend its law by arguing that the plaintiff, a registered independent, didn’t have standing because he wasn’t likely to be appointed to a Delaware judicial post anyway. The state also attacked him because he changed his registration from “Democrat” to “independent” just the day before he filed the lawsuit. The plaintiff said he left the Democratic Party because it is not progressive enough. Thanks to Michael Drucker for news about this decision.