On January 26, U.S. District Court Judge Karen Schreier ruled that the Libertarian and Constitution Parties challenge to South Dakota’s early petition deadline for new parties may proceed. The two parties filed a lawsuit on June 15, 2015, against the new law that said petitions to create a new party are due the first Tuesday of March. The 2015 session of the legislature had moved that deadline to the first Tuesday of March; the old deadline had been the last Tuesday of March.

After the case was filed, the new law was suspended by a successful referendum petition. Therefore, the parties asked the court to amend their complaint, to challenge the old law, which they felt was almost as bad. Whether the deadline is March 1 or March 29, the work must either be done in severe winter weather, or must be done in the year before the election.

The court order grants permission for the case to continue as a challenge to the March 29 deadline. It also says the parties have standing even though, when the case was filed, they had not yet begun petitioning (although, in all the months since the case was filed, they have been petitioning).

The Oregonian, Oregon’s largest newspaper, has this story with a video link about Kelly Gneitling, a founder of the Independent American Party. Gneitling is a sumo wrestler and he is part of the group that is occupying a federal office in eastern Oregon, in a protest over federal government land policies.

Gneitling challenges Governor Chris Christie to a sumo wrestling match. In 2014, the Independent American Party took over the Americans Elect Party in Arizona, and Gneitling was its nominee for State Senate in Arizona’s northeast corner. In a two-person race, Gneitling, with the Americans Elect label, polled 16.29%. Thanks to Political Wire for the link.

Daily Kos has this commentary on the new Arizona initiative for a top-two system. The story says that John Arnold, who pumped a great deal of money into the 2014 Oregon initiative for top-two, is also funding the 2016 Arizona initiative. Arnold lives in Houston and is very wealthy.