September 20th, 2018 by WCBC Radio
Dr. Jerome Segal, a University of Maryland philosopher who ran unsuccessfully in the June primary for the US Senate, and this week lost his District Court case to be placed on the ballot as the “Bread and Roses” party candidate in November, has taken his fight to the US 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.
A self-avowed Socialist, Segal has asked for an expedited decision from the 4th Circuit, and scheduling of arguments is being worked out by the Court.
Segal, who wrote his own brief and represented himself in the District Court filing, resigned from the Democratic Party in July and then collected 15,000 signatures to meet legal requirements in forming his new party, Bread and Roses.
The key obstacle Segal faces is a Maryland law stating that candidates who lost a primary in one party, cannot run in the general election as the nominee of another party. Segal argues that Maryland’s law is an unconstitutional infringement of the rights of voters to vote for the candidates of their choice.
He said, “These party-loyalty laws serve the interests of the major political parties but not the public interest. If someone accuses me of not being a loyal-Democrat, they are correct. There are higher loyalties, and the Democratic Party’s disinterest in setting up a debate between me and Senator Cardin in the primary settled the matter for me.’
The Baltimore Sun appears to agree with Segal, and in a remarkable editorial last week, entitled: “Bread and Roses: Our View – Hogan Should Make Common Cause With Md.’s New Socialist Party. Really” compared the Maryland law to gerrymandering – efforts of parties in power to use the law to remain in power. The editorial called on the state’s popular Governor, Frank Hogan, who is also running in November, to “take up Segal’s cause.” Thus far Governor Hogan has not commented on the issue.
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