According to this story, 33 Green Parties of Europe will jointly hold a party-sponsored primary to choose two Green Party nominees who will head up the party’s campaign for the 2014 European Parliamentary elections. The vote will be held on the internet.
On May 15, the Texas House defeated SJR 13, which would have asked the voters in November 2013 if they wish to impose any term limits on the statewide executive offices. Most Democrats voted “yes” and most Republicans voted “no”. The term limits would have prohibited serving more than two consecutive terms. Thanks to Jim Riley for this news.
Senator Rand Paul, according to this story, recently said in a speech, “I am not a libertarian.” Thanks to PoliticalWire for the link.
On May 16, the Fourth Circuit heard Bland v Roberts, 12-1671. The issue is whether the Sheriff of Hampton, Virginia, improperly fired a deputy because the deputy “liked” the sheriff’s opponent in the 2009 election. The U.S. Supreme Court in the past ruled that government employees cannot be fired because of their political statements. However, when the fired deputy sued, the U.S. District Court ruled that when the deputy “liked” the sheriff’s opponent on Facebook, that was not a political statement.
The U.S. District Court decision says, “It is the Court’s conclusion that merely ‘liking’ a Facebook page is insufficient speech to merit constitutional protection.” The candidate then appealed, and Facebook intervened in the case and was permitted to participate in the oral argument, to argue that the U.S. District Court was wrong. Here is an article published before the hearing was held. The U.S. District Court decision was handed down on April 24, 2012, and is eastern district 4:llcv45. UPDATE: Here is a story about the hearing. The three judges were William B. Traxler, Stephanie Thacker, and Ellen Hollander. Thanks to HowAppealing for both links.
On May 2, the Hawaii legislature adjourned, without having passed any election law bills this year. Several bills had passed each house of the legislature, but because the versions of the bills differed in each house, they were sent to conference committees. But none of the election law bills send to conference committee ever emerged from those committees.
Bills that had passed both houses of the legislature, but still died, included bills for vote by mail, election day registration, and public funding for candidates for the state legislature.
The legislature did pass a Resolution, SCR 135, calling on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment giving full voting rights to the District of Columbia. Here is the text.
