This Politico story says that the reason Mitt Romney didn’t challenge Rick Santorum’s presidential primary petitions in Illinois is that if he had, then Santorum would have challenged the Romney petitions.

Romney’s petitions might have been invalid because Romney’s statement of candidacy was not notarized by an Illinois notary, but by a Massachusetts notary. The Politico story, at the end, says that the location of where the notarization was done is not relevant, but does not get into the issue of whether a notary only recognized by Massachusetts is free to notarize Illinois election forms. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.

On March 19, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Maslow v New York State Board of Elections, 11-857. The issue was New York’s law, making it illegal for a person to circulate a petition to get someone on a primary ballot if that circulator is not a member of that party. The 2nd circuit had upheld the law. The person who filed the lawsuit is a Republican who wanted to help circulate the petition of her husband, who is a Democrat.

The Texas May 29 primary date could be moved to a later date, according to this story, although such a move is not likely. The redistricting plans are still not entirely settled. Much depends on what the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., decides about whether the new plan violates the Voting Rights Act.