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So, how does Tammy Murphy’s dropping out impact the ongoing federal suit challenging how “county lines,” or primary endorsements, are awarded in New Jersey?
It changes things quite a bit.
That, at least, is the view of lawyer Mark Natale, who represents the Burlington County Clerk, one of many defendants in the suit.
In a Monday morning filing with Judge Zahid Quraishi, Natale references Murphy’s Sunday exit from the race and notes that Andy Kim now stands to receive the “county lines” throughout the state.
The suit, in which Kim is the lead plaintiff, seeks to end the state’s traditional practice of awarding county lines, and with it, a preferential ballot position.
But now Kim is going to get those lines, which is something he confirmed Sunday night.
From the outset, this has been a balancing act for Kim.
On one hand, he condemns the traditional practice of county leaders backing primary candidates. Yet on the other hand, he has sought such endorsements himself.
His answer has been he has to play the game according to the rules that are in place.
In the cumbersome language of court filings, Natale wrote:
“This new development drastically changes the relevant analysis of irreparable harm, the court’s weighing of the balance of the harms, and it invalidates a large portion of the factual
record in this case. Defendants, having built a factual record and legal defense that applies to a fundamentally different context than the current reality, are now prejudiced without the ability to
supplement the record to fit this paradigm shift in the election.”
In other words, Murphy’s exit means Kim has all the “county lines,” so why continue the suit?
Natale wants an emergency phone conference to discuss the matter,
The post Kim, the Line, and the Aftermath: Now What??? appeared first on Insider NJ.
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