Politics
Carl Lewis kicked off New Jersey state Senate ballot
A federal appeals panel took nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis (pictured), off a New Jersey state Senate ballot Thursday, finding he does not meet the state’s four-year residency requirement after all.
The ruling in the topsy-turvy and politically charged case came nine days after the same three-judge panel from the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Lewis should be on the ballot. But instead of issuing a full legal opinion, the court scheduled another hearing, which it held earlier this week.
And when its opinion came out Thursday, it was different than the earlier order:
“Lewis has failed to show that, as applied to him, the four-year state residency requirement for the office of state senator in New Jersey has treated him unequally,” the opinion said.
And in a footnote, the Philadelphia court gave the practical directive to the clerks’ offices in Atlantic, Burlington and Camden Counties: “The printing of ballots without Lewis’ name may proceed.”
It’s not clear whether it will be that simple.
Democratic officials could ask a court to halt the printing of ballots for two reasons: so they could challenge Thursday’s ruling or so they could nominate a replacement candidate.
Burlington County Democratic Committee Chairman Joe Andl said Thursday morning that his committee’s legal team would need to review the ruling before making a decision.
