Charles Thompson of the Harrisburg Patriot-News has published an historical account of the long struggle of minor parties and independents to access the ballot in Pennsylvania. Under the headline “Third Parties and the Efforts to Bury Them: How’d That Work Out,” Thompson raises the question whether this “rare victory for the little guys” is really a good thing. His answer? “In the longstanding American tradition of free speech and freedom to associate, you bet.”#thirdparties #independents #Penns

The federal District Court in Pennsylvania has entered an order enjoining enforcement of Pennsylvania’s unconstitutional ballot access requirements for minor parties. The order prohibits the imposition of litigation costs against candidates and parties who defend their nomination petitions when challenged by private parties, and lowers the statewide signature requirement for minor parties to a flat 5,000 signatures. Press coverage by the Philadelphia Tribune is here.#Pennsylvania #order

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the District Court decision holding Pennsylvania’s ballot access requirements unconstitutional as applied to minor parties.
See press coverage from Courhouse News Service here.#Pennsylvania #appeal #decision

In editorials celebrating the federal court decision holding Pennsylvania’s ballot access requirements unconstitutional as applied to minor parties, both the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette urged Governor Wolf not to appeal and encouraged the Legislature to enact remedial legislation. Unfortunately, Governor Wolf announced that his office will file an appeal. “We expect another smackdown from a federal appellate court,” writes the Post-Gazette.#editorials #Pennsylvania

The New York Times has published Oliver Hall’s letter to the editor responding to a piece by Todd Gitlin suggesting that electoral politics should be confined within the two major parties.#lettertotheeditor

The Charleston Gazette has published CCD General Council Oliver Hall’s op-ed supporting the equal right of all qualified candidates to run for public office, and defending minor party and independent candidates against the “spoiler” charge.#oped

The New York Times has published Oliver Hall’s letter to the editor on the state-by-state monopolization of the political process.#lettertotheeditor

The Washington Post has published Oliver Hall’s letter to the editor on improving America’s elections.#lettertotheeditor

SCOTUSblog selected CCD’s petition for certiorari in Libertarian Party of North Dakota v. Jaeger as its petition of the day. See the SCOTUSblog post.#libertarians #NorthDakota #certiorari #SCOTUSblog