Nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis' name can be printed on the ballot for the June 7 New Jersey Democratic state primary, but that doesn't guarantee he'll actually get to run in the race.
A federal appeals court in Philadelphia ruled Thursday that the ballots for the 8th Legislative District should be printed with his name, but the three-judge panel did not rule on the core question: Is he eligible to run?
In New Jersey, you have to be a resident for four years before you can run for state senate. But the state's Constitution doesn't clearly define what makes a person a resident.
Lewis' legal team has argued that he's owned a home in New Jersey since 2005, had a NJ driver's license since 2006, according to Bloomberg, and has been helping out as a volunteer coach at his old high school since May of 2007.
New Jersey's secretary of state, Republican Kim Guadagno, ruled Lewis was ineligible. In her findings, Guadagno said Lewis didn't buy the home he lives in now until November 16, 2007, missing the residency deadline by eight days.
Lewis and his lawyers say Guadagno's decision was purely partisan. But a federal district judge and a New Jersey appeals court both upheld Guadagno's ruling.
So Thursday's ruling by the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, in effect, clears the way for Lewis' name to appear on the ballot. He's still waiting to see if the New Jersey Supreme Court will hear his challenge to the state appellate court ruling, or whether the federal appeals court will consider the eligibility question.
Politics
The Burlington County Republican Party, which is part of the 8th District, issued this statement about Thursday's decision:
"Today's decision by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals merely delays the inevitable for Carl Lewis and the Camden County Political Machine's increasingly desperate legal strategy. The facts in this case are crystal clear: Mr. Lewis swore an oath that he was a legal resident of California less than two years ago and therefore does not meet the constitutional four-year residency requirement to run for the New Jersey State Senate. We are confident of victory on the merits before the US District Court and the State Supreme Court, and look forward to prompt hearings and decisions in both venues enforcing the rules and protecting the rights of voters."
