Jose
Cruz and John Lightfoot will have to wait for a judge’s ruling on
their petitions.
The
Democrats want to run a primary against incumbent State Assembly
member David Gantt. But a citizen, Ruth Brooks-Ward, is challenging
the validity of their petitions in State Supreme Court. A second
hearing on the case was held today, but no ruling was issued and
Justice John Ark didn’t offer a time frame for his decision.
During
today’s appearance, attorneys for both sides made arguments that
were often technical, and sometimes rhetorical. Christopher Thomas, a
Nixon Peabody attorney representing Brooks-Ward, said that
Lightfoot’s petitions didn’t correctly identify the position he’s
running for. That’s a fatal flaw that should disqualify the
petitions, Thomas said.
He
also speculated that the Cruz campaign changed language on 14
petition pages about the office Cruz is seeking. Thomas speculated
that the changes were made after the witness signed the pages, and he
said Ark should dismiss Cruz’s entire petition on that basis. If
Ark rules only that the 14 pages are invalid, however, Cruz will
still have enough signatures to appear on the primary ballot.
Van
White, the attorney representing Cruz and Lightfoot, said there was
no confusion about the position Lightfoot is running for: that the
petitions are clearly marked. And he said the opposition has no proof
to justify its claims about Cruz’s petitions.
White
said the case is not about voters. “It’s just about one candidate
who doesn’t want competition,” he said.
This article appears in Aug 15-21, 2012.
