Politics
Will Carl Lewis be on the ballot come Nov. 8?
Carl Lewis (pictured), was a sprinter. The legal saga over whether he iss eligible to run for New Jersey’s state Senate is a marathon.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed on Monday to enter the case and scheduled a hearing for Tuesday, a week after a three-judge panel from the same court put Lewis on the ballot for Nov. 8.
The issue is whether Lewis, a nine-time Olympic gold medalist running as a Democrat in a heavily Republican district, meets the four year residency requirement in for state senators as laid out in the state constitution.
The facts in the case are the subject of dispute. The legal issues are even more complicated. Lewis’ lawyers argue that the rule itself violates Lewis’ right to equal protection of the law.
Lawyers for the state and Burlington County Republicans dismiss that, saying he has the right to run for the state Senate, just not in this election.
Lewis, 50, grew up in Willingboro, N.J., went to college in Texas and settled in California. He became one of the world’s best-known athletes when he won four golds at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Over the next 12 years, he added five more golds.
He bought homes in southern New Jersey in 2005 and 2007 and became a volunteer track coach at his old high school in 2007. But he continued voting in California through at least 2009 and continues to have a business based in that state.
