LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF OHIO and HAROLD THOMAS v. DEGEE WILHEM, HELEN E. BALCOLM, OTTO BEATTY, III, DENNIS BROMMER, DON MICHAEL CRITES, CATHERINE A. CUNNINGHAM, and A. SCOTT NORMAN, in their official capacities - Articles

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LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF OHIO and HAROLD THOMAS v. DEGEE WILHEM, HELEN E. BALCOLM, OTTO BEATTY, III, DENNIS BROMMER, DON MICHAEL CRITES, CATHERINE A. CUNNINGHAM, and A. SCOTT NORMAN, in their official capacities

Posted by: Tanja Trezise on Feb 10, 2021

Court: 6th Circuit Court (Published Opinions)

Attorneys 1: ARGUED and ON BRIEF: Mark R. Brown, Columbus, Ohio, for Appellants.

Attorneys 2: ARGUED and ON BRIEF: Michael J. Hendershot, Benjamin M. Flowers, OFFICE OF THE OHIO ATTORNEY GENERAL, Columbus, Ohio, for Appellees.

Judge(s): GRIFFIN, KETHLEDGE, and WHITE, Circuit Judges

Court Appealed: United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio at Columbus

GRIFFIN, Circuit Judge. Ohio law mandates that the Ohio Elections Commission (OEC) be composed of three members from each of the top two political parties in the state, and an additional seventh member who cannot have any political affiliation. See Ohio Rev. Code § 3517.152(A)(1). The Libertarian Party of Ohio (LPO) and its former chairman, Harold Thomas, contend this law violates their First Amendment right to associate for political purposes. The district court disagreed, and we affirm.

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