The Los Angeles Times has this story about the U.S. District Court hearing in Alan Keyes v Barack Obama, cv09-82, held on July 13 in the Central District of California (in Santa Ana). The case, brought by attorney Orly Taitz, argues that President Obama’s qualifications to hold the office of President should be evaluated. U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter, a Clinton appointee, asked the U.S. attorneys present in court to work with Taitz to see that the Defendants are properly served, so that the case can proceed.

The plaintiffs in the case now are Alan Keyes, Wiley S. Drake, and Markham Robinson of the American Independent Party. Taitz plans to add some co-plaintiffs who are members of the U.S. military, to fend off the opposition’s inevitable argument that Keyes, Drake and Robinson lack standing. Members of the military are already plaintiffs in certain other cases concerning the constitutional qualifications, on the theory that they need not obey orders if the Commander-in-Chief does not meet the constitutional qualifications.

On July 13, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed SB 1074, another omnibus election law bill. The only ballot access implications in SB 1074 are that the bill moves the non-presidential primary from 9 weeks before the general election, to 10 weeks. Therefore, in 2010, Arizona will hold its primary on August 24, the earliest non-presidential primary in Arizona history.

The date change means that the non-presidential independent candidate deadline moves a week earlier, to May 26. There is no logical reason why the independent candidate petition deadline is keyed to the date of the primary, but in Arizona, that is how it is done. The petition to recognize a party also moves a week earlier, to March 4.

Various interesting election law bills in the U.S. House of Representatives have mostly continued to gain co-sponsors. Below are the number of additional co-sponsors added since June 30, for various bills:

HR 2499 (vote on Puerto Rican status) has gained five co-sponsors since June 30.

HR 2894 (paper trail for vote-counting machines) has gained one.

HR 3025 (requiring states to use bipartisan commissions to draw U.S. House boundaries) has gained two.

HR 1503 (requiring presidential candidates to submit a copy of a birth certificate with the FEC) has gained three.

HR 1826 (public funding for congressional candidates) has gained one.