Michigan's January 15th primary / caucus / something has been struck down by court order. It actually appears that a progressive civil liberties issue was at the cause, too:
Michigan's star-crossed bid to leap to the head of the presidential primary nominating process appeared to go up in smoke Wednesday as an Ingham County Circuit Court judge ruled that a provision in the law giving the Democratic and Republican parties exclusive access to voter lists from the Jan. 15 primary was unconstituional.
Judge William Collette said giving the parties exclusive access to the lists was equivalent to transferring public property to private interests and would have required 2/3 votes in the Legislature when the law was enacted last summer.
The list provision presented "a clear injury to the public interest," Collette said, shutting out citizens, journalists and activists for the benefit of the two major political parties.
What happens now is unclear. Until it is sorted out, don't expect New Hampshire to announce its date. If Michigan is forced is forced to retreat, then a calendar with Iowa on January 3rd, New Hampshire on January 10th, and Nevada / South Carolina on January 19th becomes possible. Maybe it won't even be too late to salvage my personal favoriate of all Saturday contests: Iowa on January 5th, New Hampshire on January 12th, and Nevada / South Carolina on January 19th. My actual preference would be for it all to start at least two weeks later, but that would be a start.
Of course, it is also possible that Michigan will stay on January 15th, and the dumbest primary calendar ever will stay in place:
Democratic Party leaders were not immediately available for comment, but Michigan Republican Party chairman Saul Anuzis said Collette's ruling makes it clear there is no problem with holding a presidential primary in early January.
"This is just a hiccup in the process and Michigan Republicans still plan to hold their presidential primary on Jan. 15, 2008," Anuzis said.
All they have to do is change the law slightly to invalidate this judge's opinion. Michigan could also appeal his decision and go forward that way. I give it 2:1 that Michigan still has its primary on the 15th of January.
This primary calendar race to the bottom remains an excellent example of one of the major flaws in our federalist system of government. Is anyone willing to trumpet just how great "state's rights" are in this case?
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