On April 15, the Pennsylvania Constitution, Green and Libertarian Parties filed a brief in U.S. District Court in Constitution Party of Pennsylvania et al v Cortes, 09-cv-01691. The brief asks the Court to rule on the party’s complaints against the 15% registration membership test. The brief also asks the Court to rule on the party’s complaint that write-ins in many counties are never counted, and also that the state arbitrarily decides whether to canvass the write-ins (for example, in 2008, the state elections department reported the write-ins for Chuck Baldwin for President, but not the write-ins for Cynthia McKinney).

The Court had dismissed the case on April 1 without even deciding those issues.

The motion for reconsideration also asks the Court to rule on the constitutionality of the Pennsylvania practice of charging very large amounts of money when petitions are challenged and found insufficient. The Court’s April 1 order had also failed to decide that issue, saying the plaintiffs lack standing.

The Green Party of Arkansas is currently in U.S. District Court, over whether the state’s definition of “political party” is too restrictive. On April 15, the judge ruled on a procedural dispute in that lawsuit.

The state had asked an officer of the Green Party for the names of individuals who are thinking of running for public office this year as Greens. The party objected. Now. the judge ruled that the state has no good reason to ask that question, and ruled that the party need not reveal the names of people who are thinking of running this year. Here is the 7-page opinion and order.