AP
JACKSON — Gov. Haley Barbour has signed a bill specifying a 5 p.m. filing-day deadline for presidential candidates who want on the Mississippi ballot. The bill addresses an issue cited in a federal lawsuit by Brian Moore. He was the Socialist Party USA presidential candidate in 2008 who wanted on the Mississippi ballot as the Natural Law Party nominee. Moore argued nothing in state law specified papers had to be filed in the secretary of state’s office at 5 p.m. U.S. District Judge Tom S. Lee in Mississippi threw out Moore’s lawsuit. A panel of 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in February reversed Lee but said Mississippi law was unclear. The bill becomes law once it’s approved by the Justice Department. The bill is Senate Bill 3058.
