A U.S. district judge has dismissed Ralph Nader’s latest attempt to prove he was the target of a conspiracy by the Kerry-Edwards campaign to keep him off the presidential ballot.
Yes, the Kerry-Edwards campaign. In October 2007, as much of the country began turning its attention to a new and promising presidential showdown, Nader filed suit against the defunct ’04 Democratic ticket, accusing it of launching “a massive, nationwide unlawful litigation assault” on his campaign. The suit, originally filed in D.C. Superior Court, was eventually removed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where it was finally dismissed this May on jurisdiction grounds.
Nader, who was represented by Center for Competitive Democracy founder Oliver Hall, quickly filed a second version of the suit with the District Court. But in an opinion released today, Judge Ricardo Urbina determined that Nader’s second try was too similar to his first and dismissed the updated complaint.
UPDATE from Richard Winger in the comments: This case is already pending in the US Court of Appeals, D.C.
This case is already pending in the US Court of Appeals, D.C.