On June 27, Philip Pidot filed a federal lawsuit over New York’s failure to put him on the Republican primary ballot, for the primary being held on June 28. He is running for U.S. House, 3rd district. Only one other Republican filed to be on that primary ballot. Pidot was originally kept off the ballot because it was believed he did not have the needed 1,250 signatures. Later a court determined that he did have enough, but said it was too late to do anything about it. Pidot will ask for a special primary in the near future. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph F. Bianco will hear this case on Wednesday, June 29, at 10:45 a.m. in Islip, on Long Island.

The case is Pidot v New York State Board of Elections, e.d., 2:16cv-3527.

The noon U.S. District Court hearing in the Pennsylvania ballot access case only lasted ten minutes, and did not resolve what the ballot access rules will be in Pennsylvania this year. But attorneys for the state told the judge that the House Rules Committee is working on HB 342, and the bill will probably pass today. But it is likely it will be amended. That is probably why it was sent to Rules Committee, to consider amendments. UPDATE: the House Rules Committee met but did not take up HB 342.

The judge said regardless of what the legislature does, he will issue an order by 5 p.m. today. So if the bill passes, whatever is in the bill will probably take effect. If no bill passes, by the end of today, the judge will say what the rules will be this year.

June 27 is the deadline for Illinois petitions. Besides the Libertarian and Green statewide petitions, the Constitution Party and the Socialist Party also submitted presidential petitions. The latter two did not have as many as 25,000 signatures. However, if no one challenges them, they will be considered valid. A fifth petition was filed by a presidential candidate named Mary Vann, using the label “Human Rights Party.”