On August 28, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito issued a stay in the Texas congressional redistricting case, but only until September 5. On that day, the plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit must submit a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, setting forth arguments why Texas should be required to draw new districts in time for the 2018 election. The case is Abbott v Perez, 17A225. Thanks to Rick Hasen for this news.
On August 28, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed SB 1933, the bill to provide that any adult citizen known by the state government to exist is automatically registered. Persons who are automatically registered are then notified, and if they wish, they can remove themselves from the rolls. Last week, Governor Rauner had said he would sign it today.
This type of law is simpler to implement in states in which the voter registration form doesn’t ask applicants to choose a party. Illinois registration forms don’t ask the applicant to choose a party.
On August 25, U.S. District Court Judge William Zloch, a Reagan appointee, dismissed the lawsuit Wilding v Democratic National Committee Services, s.d. Florida, 0:16cv-61511. The lawsuit had been filed by donors to the Democratic national party who said they had been cheated because the national party had not been neutral in the contest between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. The plaintiffs all supported Sanders. Here is the 28-page decision. Thanks to IVN for this news.
On Sunday, August 27, Ohio Governor John Kasich was on “Meet the Press”, where he denied that he will run for president as an independent in 2020. Thanks to Political Wire for this news.
On August 23, the New York State Board of Elections sued the Independence Party, charging that the party’s campaign account that is shared with various Democratic State Senators is an illegal campaign account. See this story. Parties can receive higher contributions in New York than candidates can. The Independence Party set up a fund jointly with the conservative-leaning Democratic State Senators who always vote to keep the State Senate under Republican control. See this story. The State Board says that is not permitted.
In other Independence Party news from New York, on August 24 the Independence Party won a lawsuit in the Appellate Division, fourth district, to validate its nominees in Erie County. The dispute was whether the party’s executive committee or the state committee had authority to give permission for various major party candidates to receive the Independence Party nomination. A majority of the justices held that the party had properly authorized its executive committee to make that decision. Lavell v Baker, 17-01444. Here is the decision. Thanks to Joe Burns for the link.
