On April 28, the Louisiana Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee passed HB 292. It moves congressional elections back to the pattern used between 1998 and 2006. There are no congressional elections until November. All voters use the same ballot, and that ballot lists all candidates. If anyone gets 50% or more in November, that person is elected. Otherwise the top two finishers face off in December.
On April 28, the New Jersey Supreme Court agreed to hear Committee to Recall Robert Menendez v Wells. The issue is whether New Jersey members of Congress are subject to recall. The lower state court had refused to decide the issue, but had issued an order that the state must at least give the blank petition forms to people who want to recall U.S. Senator Menendez. New Jersey recalls need the signatures of 25% of the registered voters.
The New Jersey Supreme Court will be the most important court in the U.S. that will have decided the issue of whether the U.S. Constitution permits members of Congress to be recalled. Thanks to Rick Hasen for this news. Oral argument will be May 25.
Florida Governor Charlie Crist has said he will officially announce on Thursday, April 29, whether he is running for U.S. Senate as an independent. However, according to this story, he has already decided to do that. Another story says that he has decided to run as an independent after seeing a poll that gives him encouragement that he can win as an independent.
The Associated Press has this story about the oral argument on April 28 in Doe v Reed, the case over whether Washington state should release the names and addresses of people who sign petitions. UPDATE: here is the transcript of the oral argument. It is 73 pages, including the index.
UPDATE: Here is Tom Goldstein’s prediction, that the Court will rule that signatures should be withheld when there is a likelihood that signers will be injured in some way if their names and addresses are made public. Goldstein writes for Scotusblog.
Robert Cruickshank has this opinion piece about California’s Proposition 14. It appears here in California Progress Report. It also appeared in Calitics.com. Cruikshank teaches political science at Monterey Peninsula College and is getting his Ph.D in history.
