December 2023 Ballot Access News Print Edition

Ballot Access News
December 2023 – Volume 39, Number 7

This issue was printed on blue paper.

SEVEN COURTS REFUSE TO REMOVE
FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP FROM VARIOUS BALLOTS

During November, seven courts (in six states) refused to remove former President Donald Trump from various Republican presidential primary ballots.  Most of the cases are being appealed, and there are thirteen other lawsuits pending on the same subject that don’t even have an opinion from the trial court yet.

In all cases involving Trump’s ballot access, the basis for the lawsuits is the Fourteenth Amendment, section three, which says “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.  But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.”

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James P. Bradley is On California’s Primary Ballot for Two Different Offices and Two Party Names

James P. Bradley is on the California primary ballot for two offices, under two party names.  He is a registered Republican in Orange County, and so his party label in the U.S. Senate race is “Republican”.

But he is also the only name on the American Independent Party presidential ballot.

Thanks to Eric Wong for this.

Anyone with Computer Access Can Easily Read U.S. Supreme Court Documents for Current Cases

If you are interested in filings in the U.S. Supreme Court on current lawsuits, including the Colorado lawsuit on Donald Trump’s ballot access, and if you have access to a computer, it is very easy to read the filings in the Court.

Go to supremecourt.gov.

Choose “Case documents” and from the drop-down menu, choose “docket search.”

For the Colorado Trump case, put 23-696 into the search box.  Then you can read any filing.  As of mid-day December 29, there are only four documents, but new ones will probably be added later today.

California Secretary of State Will Appeal Ruling that Lets Candidates File for Two Offices Simultaneously

On December 29, the California Secretary of State’s office said it will appeal the December 28 ruling in Fong v Weber, which lets candidates run for two offices simultaneously.

However, the appeal will not be in time to remove Vince Fong’s name from the March 5, 2024 primary ballot.  He is running for both Assembly and U.S. House.  For Assembly, he is the only candidate on the ballot.