The June 22 print edition of the New York Times carries this Thomas L. Friedman column, which seems to advocate a new party in 2012 that would run on a particular platform (described by Friedman, with ideas endorsed by him). Friedman says the new party probably wouldn’t win in 2012, but “it doesn’t have to win to be effective” because if the party attracted substantial support, it would shape the agenda of the two major parties. This is exactly the point that historians and political scientists have been making about new and minor parties in the United States for many decades. One hopes that members of the U.S. Supreme Court will notice. Thanks to Rob Richie for the link.

On June 21, a Maryland state circuit judge heard arguments in the lawsuit over whether the Green Party petition and the Libertarian Party petitions for ballot status in 2012 and 2014 have enough signatures. At the end of the hearing, he ruled orally that the petitions are valid. Thanks to Bob Johnston for this news. UPDATE: here is the 2-page order.

On the afternoon of June 21, eleven judges of the 9th circuit will rehear the case over whether Arizona is violating law by requiring voter registration applications to include proof of the new voter’s citizenship. The hearing is in Pasadena, California. See this story. An original panel of the 9th circuit last year had struck down the law on the grounds that the federal moter-voter law precludes states from requiring additional documents to be attached to voter registration applications. The original panel’s vote had been 2-1 and had included retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

The federal government has intervened in the case on the side of the voters who had challenged the law.