On June 10, the Texas Democratic Party filed a lawsuit in state court in Austin, seeking a court order to prevent the Green Party from certifying the names of its nominees to the Secretary of State. See this story. The case is probably called Texas Democratic Party v Texas Green Party. The case number is not available yet.
The Texas Democratic Party also seeks a court order to allow its attorneys to take depositions to find out who donated money to pay for the party’s petition drive.
Texas Tribune (H/T Joey Dauben in IPR comments):
The Texas Democratic Party won Thursday’s battle against the Green Party — but the war isn’t over yet.
A Travis County District Court judge granted a temporary restraining order that will prevent the Green Party from certifying any candidates for the November ballot for the next 14 days. The big question is whether the Green Party’s use of out-of-state money to gather the more then 92,000 signatures they submitted to get on the ballot (well above the 44,000 necessary) violates state law. Democrats fear that the Green Party’s resurgence is a GOP-fueled effort to peel away Democratic votes.
Texas Green Kat Swift comments on Facebook:
Texas Democratic Party began a slanderous campaign against the Green Party today with a Press Release and robocalls across the state.
And:
The Chair of the TDP, Boyd Richie, has been saying I’ve said we admitted taking an illegal contribution – lie. they started greenequalsred.com, and are robocalling to say we lied to people signing the petition (lie) and are working for the GOP (so funny i can’t stop laughing – we want both the R & Ds to lose and i’d like to see either party try to take over the Green leadership. They have obviously NOT been to a Green convention!)
Following that link, http://greenequalsred.com/ reads:
Citizens’ Petition opposing Green Party alliance with Republicans
The Green Party of Texas has every right to file and run candidates for public office. It is wrong, however, for the Green Party to conspire with out-of-state Republican political operatives to circumvent state law in an attempt to rig the 2010 elections. It is even more scandalous to funnel a secret payment by a shadowy donor through a nonprofit corporation in order for Green Candidates to appear on the ballot. It is sleazy, unethical and illegal.
Texas law prohibits the use of corporate or tax exempt funds to be used for political purposes. By moving forward and filing candidates in Texas, the Green Party will have violated the very principles it is founded upon and forfeit any trust or goodwill it may have from Texas voters.
The Green Party of Texas has aligned itself with the most extreme and negative elements in American society whose only goal is to elect Rick Perry and other hard right Republicans.
Please sign the petition below which will be sent to Kat Swift, the Texas Green Party Executive Director who conspired with right-wing extremists and to all Green Party nominees whose candidacy is the product of an unethical and illegal act.
The Green Party of Texas should remove their candidates from the ballot until they can collect signatures without the help of a Republican political operative and a shadow donor
Encourage the Texas Green Party to stand their ground.
Kinky Friedmann would make a great Green Party candidate for the Texas Green Party.
Hope the Texas Green Party will draft/nominate Kinky Friedmann for statewide office in 2010…and thereby guarantee enough votes for Ballot Access in 2012.
Thanks for story…
One question.
Do they even have any reason to believe any illegal contributions were made? Or is this a fishing expedition / SLAPP suit?
If they want to investigate, that’s fine, but there is no need for a TRO to keep the Greens from ballot access while the investigation goes on. In order to derail ballot access, all that has to happen now is for investigators to drag their feet or otherwise get bogged down.
Bad move by the District Court judge!
Hey, I’ve got no problem with(out of state) rich repubs funding (Texas)GP ballot access.
This is absolutely absurd! Who really is behind the Lone Star Fund anyhow and why do they wish to curtail voter choice in Texas? The state (where I lived for over 20 yrs) has some of the most restrictive ballot access rules anyhow, certainly exemplifying how scared the two parties there are of other ideas.
I have news to you all . . . you don’t OWN anyone’s vote!!
Just like NM, the Dems are making themselves look foolish.