Judge dismisses lawsuit seeking to remove Rep. Cory Mills from Florida primary ballot
A judge has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to remove U.S. Rep. Cory Mills from Florida's August Republican primary ballot, allowing the incumbent congressman to continue his reelection campaign.
The Brief
- A judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking to remove Rep. Cory Mills from Florida's August Republican primary ballot.
- The court ruled the state's ballot eligibility law applies to candidate qualifications, not filing paperwork procedures.
- Mills remains on the ballot, while his challenger plans to appeal the decision.
ORLANDO, Fla. - A judge has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to remove U.S. Rep. Cory Mills from Florida's August Republican primary ballot.
The ruling allows the incumbent congressman to continue his reelection campaign.
The backstory:
The lawsuit, filed by Republican challenger Michael Johnson, argued Mills should be disqualified because his candidate qualifying paperwork was notarized in Washington, D.C., rather than in Florida. The challenge relied on a recently enacted state law that created a process for questioning a candidate's eligibility to appear on the ballot.
Circuit Court Judge J. Lee Marsh ruled the law applies to constitutional qualifications for office, such as age and residency, rather than procedural issues involving candidate qualifying paperwork. As a result, Mills will remain on the ballot for the Aug. primary.
Mills represents Florida's 7th Congressional District, which includes Seminole County and portions of Volusia County.
The ruling comes as Mills faces a separate investigation by the U.S. House Ethics Committee into allegations involving campaign finance violations and sexual misconduct. He also is the subject of a temporary restraining order obtained by a former girlfriend, who accused him of threatening to release sexually explicit videos of her.
Mills has denied the allegations against him.
Johnson's attorney said the campaign plans to appeal the ruling.
