According to Everett DePangher of ASP, major items on the agenda include a decision on whether to change the presidential nomination from a membership popular vote to a delegate vote at a national convention, the possibility of switching to a proportional representation system for the election of members of the National Committee (the Party’s governing body) instead of the current vote on individual seats; and the election of National Committee members.
On June 20, No Labels filed this brief in No Labels v Delco0222024, Inc.,, 1:23cv-1384. This is the lawsuit filed by No Labels against a parody website that made it appear that No Labels really supported Donald Trump. The brief gives an overview of what No Labels is and what it hoped to achieve in the 2024 election.
On June 20, the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, issued an opinion in Hall v D.C. Board of Elections, 24-7050. It says that citizen-voters in the District of Columbia do have standing to challenge a D.C. ordinance passed by the City Council that lets non-citzen residents vote in local elections. Here is the opinion. It is by Judge J. Raymond Randolph, a Bush Sr. appointee. It is also signed by Judges J. Michelle Childs (Biden appointee) and Cornelia Pillard (Obama).
The U.S. District Court had ruled that the voters do not have standing.
On May 6, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed HB 258. It changes the midterm primary date from the fourth Tuesday in May to the Tuesday just prior to Memorial Day. In most years, this won’t change anything. But in 2026 it means the primary will be May 19, not May 26.
The non-presidential independent candidate deadline, and the deadline for a new party petition, is always on the date of the non-presidential primary, so this means that 2026 petitions will also now be on May 19 instead of May 26.
SIXTH CIRCUIT UPHOLDS TENNESSEE BALLOT ACCESS RESTRICTION FOR MINOR PARTIES
On May 1, the Sixth Circuit issued an opinion in Darnell v Hargett, 24-5856. It upholds the Tennessee procedure to place a new or previously unqualified party on the ballot, a procedure that requires the signatures of 2.5% of the last gubernatorial vote. Currently that is 43,498 signatures. In the recent past, it has sometimes been as high as 56,083 signatures.
The decision is by Judge Chad Readler, a Trump appointee. It is also signed by Judge Amul Thapar, a Trump appointee; and Eric Clay, a Clinton appointee.
The decision is only nine pages and does not mention any U.S. Supreme Court precedent. It merely says that because the same law had been upheld in 2016, in a case filed by the Green and Constitution Parties, the matter is settled. The Darnell case is a Libertarian Party lawsuit.
Other courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have sometimes invalidated ballot access laws even though the same law had been upheld by another court in the recent past.
