STATE PLAYING GAMES TO TRY AND SILENCE THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE
Last week, an Indiana court ruled in favor of political outsider John Rust in his legal crusade for equal ballot access in the May primary. Earlier this Fall, John Rust filed a lawsuit showing that an Indiana law that was barring him from appearing on the May ballot was unconstitutional. According to a PEW Research study and data from the Indiana Secretary of State’s office, under this current law, over 80% of Hoosiers are ineligible to run for office.
But the State and the political insiders are doing everything they can to overturn the decision and the will of the people. Just before midnight Wednesday morning, State Defendants filed a motion in the Indiana Supreme Court seeking to both expedite the appeal and stay the injunction. The injunction stops the State from enforcing the unconstitutional law that would keep Rust and most Hoosiers off the ballot. With the stay, State Defendants are looking to undo Rust’s trial court victory, keep him off the ballot, and reinstate the unconstitutional statute.
Their late night filing is gamesmanship. They were hoping the Court would grant a stay without hearing from Rust at all, but Rust filed a quick response in opposition. In Rust’s opposition he points out, among other things, that State Defendants violated the appellate rules in their filing and that they do not meet the requirements to get the extraordinary relief they are seeking. Incredibly, State Defendants are arguing that it’s actually in the public’s interest to grant a stay putting the statute denying ballot access to most Hoosiers back in place!
“What the insiders are trying to do is unconscionable,” stated John Rust. “The State is supposed to represent the people. In this case they’re blocking and tackling for Jim Banks’ campaign and for the political elite in Indiana. Trying to overturn a decision like this in the dead of night, which gives power to the people, is beyond the pale. I’m more committed than ever to continuing our fight for Hoosiers.”
