State Supreme Court to weigh in on ballot issue

New Mexico Supreme Court

Santa Fe New Mexican - New Mexico's top court is wading into the controversy over what information is required for a candidate to qualify for the June primary election ballot. The New Mexico Supreme Court on Wednesday scheduled oral arguments for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday after consolidating 10 lawsuits involving various political contests around the state, including a challenge against least one leader in the state Legislature. In those lawsuits candidates seek to disqualify their primary-election opponents on the grounds that they failed to note the district or district number on nominating petitions submitted last month to the New Mexico Secretary of State's office. Justice Charles Daniels, who signed the order, said in a brief telephone interview with The New Mexican that the state's top court had scheduled the hearing after receiving a request from Secretary of State Dianna Duran for the court to settle the issue. Duran's petition, filed Tuesday, asks the court to "consolidate and ultimately determine the merits of several petition signature challenges asserting that a candidate failed to sufficiently identify the district in which he or she is running" in violation of state law. The Secretary of State's office qualified each of those candidates to be on the ballot for the June 5 primary election. Read More News New Mexico

State Supreme Court to weigh in on ballot issue