Filed Date: June 3, 2020
Closed Date: July 13, 2020
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COVID-19 Summary: This action, initially being tracked by the Stanford/MIT Healthy Elections Project, was filed on June 3, 2020 by the Alaska Libertarian Party, seeking lowered signature requirements to appear on the ballot for the 2020 Presidential Election. The court issued an order on July 10 stating that it was unlikely to grant the plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction. The plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the case on July 13, 2020.
The Alaska Libertarian Party filed this case on June 3, 2020 against the Alaska Director of Elections in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska, seeking a waiver of the signature requirements to appear on the ballot for the 2020 Presidential Election, in light of COVID-19. The state's requirements provide that one method for obtaining ballot access is submitting a petition with signatures equal to 1% of the votes cast in the preceding Presidential election in Alaska at least 90 days prior to the general election. The plaintiffs argued that this signature requirements violated their First Amendment Rights to free speech, expression, and association, which are incorporated to apply to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment.
In their complaint, the plaintiffs requested declaratory relief that the ballot access laws in the state were unconstitutional. They also requested an injunction to prohibit the enforcement of the ballot access laws and attorneys' fees. The case was assigned to Judge John W. Sedwick.
On June 11, 2020, the plaintiffs moved for a preliminary injunction. They requested that the court either reduce or eliminate the petition requirement, or extend the 90 day deadline. In their motion, the plaintiffs suggested a signature threshold of 20% of the normal threshold, or equal to 0.2% of the votes cast in the 2016 Presidential Election.
On July 10, 2020, Judge Sedwick submitted an order that he was likely to deny the motion for a preliminary injunction. The court remarked that the purpose of this order was to give the plaintiffs an opportunity to increase their signature gathering efforts and noted that signature gathering efforts had not been made in many highly populated areas or had been targeted to registered Libertarian voters.
On July 13, 2020, the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the case. The case is now closed.
Summary Authors
Nicholas Gillan (3/11/2021)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17221344/parties/alaska-libertarian-party-v-fenumiai/
Amodio, Thomas P (Alaska)
Clarkson, Kevin G (Alaska)
Mills, Cori (Alaska)
Paton-Walsh, Margaret A (Alaska)
Fenumiai, Gail (Alaska)
Sedwick, John W. (Alaska)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17221344/alaska-libertarian-party-v-fenumiai/
Last updated Feb. 19, 2024, 3:01 a.m.
State / Territory: Alaska
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Healthy Elections COVID litigation tracker
Key Dates
Filing Date: June 3, 2020
Closing Date: July 13, 2020
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
The Alaska Libertarian Party and the Chair of the Alaska Libertarian Party
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Alaska Director of Elections (Juneau, Juneau), State
Lieutenant Governor of Alaska (Juneau, Juneau), State
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Nature of Relief:
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Content of Injunction:
Preliminary relief request withdrawn/mooted
Issues
Voting: