NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Four years after the Libertarian Party of Tennessee filed its first lawsuit to get on the ballot, the group is still fighting for access in a state that has some of the most restrictive ballot access rules in the country.
In a lawsuit filed last month, the party claims Tennessee laws violate its members' constitutional rights to free speech, association and equal protection.
A federal judge has twice ruled in favor of Tennessee's Green and Constitution parties on similar claims. The state has appealed those rulings, but the two parties will appear on the ballot this year.
Because the Libertarian Party was not a plaintiff in that lawsuit, it has filed a separate petition asking the court to rule that its gubernatorial candidate must be on the ballot as a Libertarian.