Federal court won't put Socialists on state ballot

DETROIT (AP) - A federal appeals court has turned down a request to place five Socialist Party candidates on the November ballot. The court recently ruled that Matt Erard hasn't demonstrated that granting an injunction is in the public's interest. He sued in Detroit federal court, claiming Michigan's election law is too rigid and unconstitutional when it comes to qualifying for the ballot. Political parties must get a certain number of votes in a previous election or collect a certain number of signatures. Erard needed 32,000 for the 2012 election but collected only 925. In May, Judge Stephen Murphy ruled in favor of the state and dismissed the lawsuit. Murphy says Michigan law treats all minor parties the same. Published: Thu, Aug 21, 2014