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
Hawatmeh v. New York State Board of Elections
Closed
Hawatmeh v. New York State Board of Elections, No. 903484-2020 (N.Y. Sup. Ct., Albany Cnty.) |
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| Case Summary | Petitioner filed a designating petition on March 20, designating Petitioner a Conservative Party candidate for the public office of Member of the US House of Representatives for the 19th Congressional District. Petitioner mailed to the Board of Elections the required certificate of acceptance on March 25, which was one day after the March 24 filing deadline. When the NY election calendar had set the deadline for filing at April 2, 2020, Petitioner scheduled out-of-state cancer treatments to occur between March 14-March 24. The filing deadline was changed to March 20 while Petitioner was out of NY to undergo such treatments. The Board determined the petition was invalid due to the late filing of the certificate of acceptance. Petitioner commenced an action to validate the petition and challenge the constitutionality of Chapter 24 of the Laws of 2020 (the act that changed the filing deadline). The NY Supreme Court dismissed Petitioner's application, refusing to validate Petitioner's designating petition. Petitioner appealed and the Appellate Division (Third Department) affirmed the Supreme Court's decision. The Court of Appeals affirmed the Third Department's decision (and resolved a departmental split as to whether the late filing of a portion of a designating petition (e.g., a cover sheet, a certificate of acceptance) constitutes a fatal defect that invalidates such a petition). | |
| Filed | 04/30/2020 | |
| State | New York | |
| Type of Court | State | |
| Status | Closed | |
| Last Updated | 03/13/2021 | |
| Issue Tag(s) | Other Designating petition defect: late filing of certificate of acceptance. |
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| Complaint(s) | 04/30/2020: Complaint filed. | |
| Dispositive Ruling(s) | 05/06/2020: Order/Ruling, Hawatmeh's Petition Denied (designating petition invalidated) | |
Hawatmeh v. New York State Board of Elections, No. 531344 (App. Div. 3d Dept) |
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| Case Summary | Petitioner filed a designating petition on March 20, designating Petitioner a Conservative Party candidate for the public office of Member of the US House of Representatives for the 19th Congressional District. Petitioner mailed to the Board of Elections the required certificate of acceptance on March 25, which was one day after the March 24 filing deadline. When the NY election calendar had set the deadline for filing at April 2, 2020, Petitioner scheduled out-of-state cancer treatments to occur between March 14-March 24. The filing deadline was changed to March 20 while Petitioner was out of NY to undergo such treatments. The Board determined the petition was invalid due to the late filing of the certificate of acceptance. Petitioner commenced an action to validate the petition and challenge the constitutionality of Chapter 24 of the Laws of 2020 (the act that changed the filing deadline). The NY Supreme Court dismissed Petitioner's application, refusing to validate Petitioner's designating petition. Petitioner appealed and the Appellate Division (Third Department) affirmed the Supreme Court's decision. The Court of Appeals affirmed the Third Department's decision (and resolved a departmental split as to whether the late filing of a portion of a designating petition (e.g., a cover sheet, a certificate of acceptance) constitutes a fatal defect that invalidates such a petition). | |
| Filed | 05/04/2020 | |
| State | New York | |
| Type of Court | State | |
| Status | Closed | |
| Last Updated | 03/13/2021 | |
| Issue Tag(s) | Other Designating petition defect: late filing of certificate of acceptance. |
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| Dispositive Ruling(s) | 05/15/2020: Order/Ruling, Affirmed the designation of the petition as invalidated for failure to timely file. | |
Hawatmeh v. New York State Board of Elections, No. 58 (N.Y. Ct. App.) |
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| Case Summary | Petitioner filed a designating petition on March 20, designating Petitioner a Conservative Party candidate for the public office of Member of the US House of Representatives for the 19th Congressional District. Petitioner mailed to the Board of Elections the required certificate of acceptance on March 25, which was one day after the March 24 filing deadline. When the NY election calendar had set the deadline for filing at April 2, 2020, Petitioner scheduled out-of-state cancer treatments to occur between March 14-March 24. The filing deadline was changed to March 20 while Petitioner was out of NY to undergo such treatments. The Board determined the petition was invalid due to the late filing of the certificate of acceptance. Petitioner commenced an action to validate the petition and challenge the constitutionality of Chapter 24 of the Laws of 2020 (the act that changed the filing deadline). The NY Supreme Court dismissed Petitioner's application, refusing to validate Petitioner's designating petition. Petitioner appealed and the Appellate Division (Third Department) affirmed the Supreme Court's decision. The Court of Appeals affirmed the Third Department's decision (and resolved a departmental split as to whether the late filing of a portion of a designating petition (e.g., a cover sheet, a certificate of acceptance) constitutes a fatal defect that invalidates such a petition). | |
| Filed | 05/14/2020 | |
| State | New York | |
| Type of Court | State | |
| Status | Closed | |
| Last Updated | 03/13/2021 | |
| Issue Tag(s) | Other Designating petition defect: late filing of certificate of acceptance. |
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| Dispositive Ruling(s) | 05/21/2020: Order/Ruling, Affirmed the designation of the petition as invalidated for failure to timely file. | |
