An emergency hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at 9:10am in Columbia, South Carolina in response to the complaint filed by Presidential candidate Cenk Uygur. One week ago, Uygur, a naturalized citizen, filed a complaint in the federal district court of South Carolina for injunctive relief requiring the South Carolina State Election Commission to place his name on the ballot for the state’s Democratic Presidential Preference Primary on February 3, 2024.

The hearing is to determine whether or not constitutional rights have been violated by preventing Uygur from being on the ballot.

The South Carolina Democratic Party previously rejected Uygur’s petition for placement on the ballot citing their Ballot Access Statute and Delegate Selection Plan. They also refused to refund his $20,000 filing fee. The Party claimed that Uygur was not eligible to participate as a primary candidate because he is not a “natural born citizen” within the meaning of Article II of the Constitution. The suit argues this clause in the original Constitution has been both explicitly and implicitly repealed by the 14th Amendment, and that its continued application constitutes unlawful discrimination on the basis of national origin.

 

The hearing will be held at the University of South Carolina School of Law.