DETROIT (AP) — A candidate who made a small ripple in his run for Michigan attorney general is havAing a major impact on state election law more than a year later.
A judge put Chris Graveline on the 2018 ballot after he challenged the signature requirement for independent statewide candidates. The same judge now has returned with a broader decision in his lawsuit, saying Michigan’s 30,000-signature threshold is too high.
U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts set the bar at 12,000 petition signatures for the 2020 election. The ruling could immediately affect independent candidates who want to run for U.S. Senate or president. There are no races next year for Michigan governor, attorney general or secretary of state.
The 30,000-signature law was “not narrowly drawn to advance a compelling state interest,” Roberts said on Dec. 22.
It’s not known if the state will appeal.
Graveline finished fourth in the race for attorney general with less than 2% of the vote.
- Posted January 01, 2020
- Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Federal judge makes it easier for independents to get on ballot
headlines Oakland County
- Associations gather for Spring Fling
- Supreme Court denies rehearing request by attorneys sanctioned for meritless election lawsuit
- Law school conducts ‘Know Your Rights Day’ for high school students
- Oakland County household hazardous waste dropoff events promote environmental stewardship and safeguard communities
- Nessel testifies in support of BRITE Act
headlines National
- Incarceration series includes female inmates but doesn’t tell full story
- ACLU and BigLaw firm use ‘Orange is the New Black’ in hashtag effort to promote NY jail reform
- Former DOJ official who alleged election fraud violated at least one ethics rule, ethics committee says
- Winston & Strawn will provide reduced-cost legal services for routine tasks under Winston Legal Solutions umbrella
- Should Justice Sotomayor retire? Chemerinsky, White House haven’t joined calls for her to step down
- Which BigLaw firms are increasing lateral associate hiring the most? One made legal headlines last year