This database consolidates and tracks litigation concerning the effect of the pandemic on election law. The purpose of this tool is to provide an interactive list of relevant cases that can be searched by issue, court, status, and jurisdiction.
Case Details
Whitfield v. Thurston
Closed. Settled and/or Withdrawn (Judgment entered in favor of defendant. Plaintiff sought injunctive relief against State of Arkansas for overly restrictive petitioning period (9 day) for Independent candidates, given COVID-19. Court ruled against plaintiff, denying injunctive relief and finding for defendant on legal merits. On appeal, court ruled against plaintiff.)
Whitfield v. Thurston, No. 4:20-cv-00466 (E.D. Ark.), 2020 WL 3451692 |
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| Case Summary | Plaintiffs are independent candidates for public office in Arkansas seeking access to the Arkansas ballot. They filed suit against the Secretary of State of Arkansas, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief against Arkansas prohibiting the enforcement of ballot access provisions setting May 1, 2020 as the deadline for signature collection, coupled with a 90-day petitioning period. They seek relief both for the November General Election, and for all subsequent general elections. | |
| Filed | 04/29/2020 | |
| State | Arkansas | |
| Type of Court | Federal | |
| Circuit | Eighth Circuit | |
| Status | Closed. Settled and/or Withdrawn (Judgment entered in favor of defendant. Plaintiff sought injunctive relief against State of Arkansas for overly restrictive petitioning period (9 day) for Independent candidates, given COVID-19. Court ruled against plaintiff, denying injunctive relief and finding for defendant on legal merits. On appeal, court ruled against plaintiff.) | |
| Last Updated | 09/07/2020 | |
| Issue Tag(s) | Candidate Signature Requirement (Threshold Number, Deadline/Time to Collect) | |
| Complaint(s) | 04/29/2020: Complaint filed. | |
| Dispositive Ruling(s) | 06/24/2020: Order/Ruling, Post-Trial Judgment for Defense | |
