Nebraska GOP, Dems appeal to state Supreme Court to stop other political parties

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s two major political parties have asked the state Supreme Court to overrule a judge’s decision allowing two new state political parties to form. 

The Nebraska Democratic and Republican parties filed their appeals Thursday morning. The two cases are in the hands of the Nebraska Supreme Court, but there had been no indication whether the high court had accepted them as of 1:30 p.m. 

Lancaster County District Court Judge Darla Ideus rejected both major parties’ objections earlier this week. In her order regarding the Nebraska Working People Party, she wrote that the state Democratic Party — and the national Working Families Party — filed their objections too late.  Regarding the challenge to the America First Party, she ruled that state law doesn’t address the “confusion” that the Republican Party alleged the party’s name would cause for voters. 

Nebraska will have two new political parties after efforts meet signature threshold

GOP lawyers had asked Ideus to give Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen more authority to reject a party or candidate. In its lawsuit, the GOP called John Cartier’s effort to establish the America First Party “political sabotage.” Attorneys for the Nebraska Democratic Party and the national Working Families Party had sought to compel Evnen to remove the Nebraska Working People Party because its name is similar to the Working Families Party.

An emergency injunction delaying their certification was lifted Wednesday.

The Nebraska Working People’s Party has submitted its organizational documents to become an official state party while the America First Party hasn’t, according to a Secretary of State spokesperson.

The deadline to name party candidates for the Nov. 3 general election is Sept. 1.