On January 7, U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson ruled that due process requires that Ohio not implement its new ballot access barriers for minor parties for the 2014 election. The 28-page opinion depends on the fact that the Ohio legislature did not pass the new requirements until November 2013, after various candidates of the minor parties had already been circulating petitions to place themselves on their own party’s primary ballot. The case is Libertarian Party of Ohio v Husted, southern district, 2:13cv-953.

The decision also depends on the fact that the new law doesn’t take effect until February 2014. The Republican majority in the legislature wanted the new requirements to take effect immediately, but the bill would have needed 60% in each House of the legislature to take effect immediately, and because some Republican legislators voted against the bill, the bill did not pass with 60% in the State House.

The decision says, “The Ohio Legislature moved the proverbial goalpost in the midst of the game. Stripping the Plaintiffs of the opportunity to participate in the 2014 primary in these circumstances would be patently unfair.”

The American Prospect has a long article about the Working Families Party and its national director, Dan Cantor. See it here. The story says the party will expand into the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania soon. The story also says that the party won’t necessarily try to get on the ballot under its own name in the future.

Florida’s Lieutenant Governor resigned her position in March 2013, and that office has been vacant ever since. The Florida Constitution says that when that office becomes vacant, the Governor “shall” appoint a new Lieutenant Governor. On January 6, 2014, a Florida taxpayer, Barbara DeVane, filed a lawsuit directly with the State Supreme Court, asking the Court to order the Governor to appoint a new Lieutenant Governor.

The plaintiff, Barbara DeVane, points out that the Constitution provides that when the Governor is unavailable to handle a state emergency, the Lieutenant Governor has authority to act. DeVane’s brief also mentions the consequences if the Governor, Rick Scott, were to become incapacitated; the Constitution gives the Lieutenant Governor authority to act while the Governor is incapacitated. DeVane is a lobbyist for the National Organization for Women. Here is the brief. The case is DeVane v Scott. Thanks to Howard Bashman of How Appealing for the link.