By Richard Winger This is old news, but it has just come to my attention. In 2000 Ralph Nader won a federal lawsuit against South Dakota’s June petition deadline for independent presidential candidates. Nader v Hazeltine, 110 F Supp 2d 1201. The court said June is too early for presidential independents. The state did not appeal, and in 2001 passed Senate Bill 7, moving the deadline for presidential independents from June to the first Tuesday in August.
However, in 2012, the legislature passed HB 1182. The intent of that bill was to move the non-presidential independent deadline from June …read more