On May 14, a lower Mississippi state court ordered the Democratic Party to accept George Dale as a candidate for Insurance Commissioner. The court also said that it was without authority to consider putting Dale on the ballot as an independent candidate. The case is Dale v Mississippi Democratic Party, 251-07-268, Hinds County.

Dale is the state’s Insurance Commissioner. He has always been elected as a Democrat. This year, when he filed for re-election as a Democrat, the party refused to accept his declaration of candidacy, since he had endorsed President Bush for re-election in 2004. He then sued the Democratic Party. Later he said he didn’t want to run as a Democrat anymore and his lawsuit asked that he be listed as an independent, conditional on collecting the needed 1,000 signatures quite soon. In the meantime the Democratic Party had said they would list him, but then they again said they wouldn’t. Thanks to Steve Rankin for this news.

In March, the U.S. Supreme Court had given the state of Washington a lengthy delay in its deadline for filing briefs in the “Top-two” case. That new deadline was to have been May 14. However, the state has asked for yet another extension, and its brief is now due May 21. The case is Washington State v Republican Party, 06-730 and 06-713.

On May 8, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat, signed SB 270. It moves the petition deadline for independent candidates (for office other than president) from June to March. This will force independent candidates to collect signatures in the winter, or in the year before the election. He signed the bill despite the fact that in 1990, a lower Montana state court held the identical deadline unconstitutional. The State Supreme Court had then vacated that decision, finding that the plaintiff did not have standing, but not expressing any opinion about the merits.

Governor Schweitzer still hasn’t signed or vetoed SB 96, which makes it illegal for out-of-state circulators to work in the state, and which makes it illegal to pay circulators per signature. He must make up his mind by Friday, May 18.