Federal appeals court throws out challenge to Florida law putting Trump’s name first on 2020 ballot News
© WikiMedia (Tom Arthur)
Federal appeals court throws out challenge to Florida law putting Trump’s name first on 2020 ballot

The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit threw out a lawsuit Wednesday that sought to roll back a Florida law that would put President Donald Trump’s name first on the Florida ballot in the 2020 election.

A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of Florida struck down the law in November, stating the Constitution does not allow “a state to to put its thumb on the scale and award an electoral advantage to the party in power.”

In throwing out the case Wednesday, the Eleventh Circuit cited standing as its reason. The plaintiffs, several voters and organizations, sued the Florida Secretary of State, and the court said they lacked standing for two reasons: they did not prove an injury in fact, and even if they had, the Supervisors, who are county officials independent of the Secretary, would have been responsible for placing candidates on the ballot. Because the district court lacked authority to enjoin the Supervisors in the suit, the circuit court dismissed the suit for lack of justiciability.

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