The Fourth Circuit will hear oral arguments in South Carolina Green Party v South Carolina Election Commission on May 11, at 8:45 a.m. This is the case over whether, when a candidate is nominated at the convention of a ballot-qualified minor party, and then that same candidate also enters a major party primary for the same office, should the first nomination be voided if the candidate fails to obtain the second nomination.

Lawsuits brought by minor parties are pending in U.S. Courts of Appeals, against various election laws of Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.

Lawsuits brought by minor parties or independent candidates are pending in U.S. District Courts in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Idaho, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Washington.

On March 15, the 5th circuit refused to rehear Libertarian Party v Dardenne, 09-30307. Earlier the 5th circuit had ruled that the dispute is moot. Oddly, though, another panel of the 5th circuit had ruled a few weeks earlier that a similar lawsuit from Mississippi is not moot. The Mississippi case involved Brian Moore’s being kept off the ballot because of late paperwork. The Louisiana case involves Bob Barr, Brian Moore, and Ted Weill (Reform Party 2008 presidential candidate) being kept off the ballot because of late paperwork.

The 5th circuit did not explain why it won’t rehear the case. The Libertarian Party will probably ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.

On March 16, the California State Court of Appeals, 3rd district, issued an order that the California ballot pamphlet printing process be delayed unto further notice. Without the order, the pamphlets would be being printed now. The order was because of the ongoing disputes about wording of some of the statewide ballot measures.