According to this story, the Utah legislature does not plan any activity to straighten out the confusion in Utah’s law on how qualified parties nominate candidates. Instead the legislature will let the federal and state courts resolve the issues.

The state and the Republican Party have agreed to ask the Utah Supreme Court to settle whether the existing law (which is not clear) permits the Republican Party provide that the only way for a candidate to get on its primary ballot is for that candidate to show support at a party caucus. The question won’t be sent over to the Utah Supreme Court until February 4, after the U.S. District Court holds a status conference. At the status conference, the question of whether the Democratic Party may intervene in the federal case should also be settled. And the federal court will determine what role it should play during the period when the Utah Supreme Court is answering the question. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.

On Saturday, January 30, the Virginia Republican Party said it no longer wants polling place officials to ask voters who want a Republican presidential primary to sign that they consider themselves members of the party. See this story. Because the primary is only a month away, and some absentee ballots have already been cast with the sign-in requirement in place, the news seems surprising.

Former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel has virtually endorsed Michael Bloomberg as an independent presidential candidate, even though Bloomberg has not declared. See this New York Times story. Hagel was a Republican from Nebraska, but he was also President Obama’s Defense Secretary.