On December 13, U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken, a Clinton appointee, refused to enjoin a new Oregon election law that prohibits legislators from running for re-election if they had at least ten unexcused absences from the legislative session. Linthicum v Wagner, 6:23cv-1624. Here is the opinion. The law is part of the Oregon Constitution and was passed by the voters in 2022.

The opinion cites an 1880 U.S. Supreme Court opinion that says Congress even has the power to criminally publish members of Congress who refuse to attend sessions of Congress.

The Republican State Senators who filed the lawsuit could still possibly get on the May 2024 Republican primary ballot, however, if they win their state case that says the law is being misinterpreted and cannot affect them until the 2026 election. The Oregon State Supreme Court heard that case on December 14. It is Knopp v Griffin-Valade, S070456.

The Utah state elections office has determined that the Green Party petition for party status has enough valid signatures, so the party is back on the ballot for both 2024 and 2026. Thanks to Dee Taylor for this news.

Here is the story from CNN.

Thanks to Election Law Blog for posting this story.