I haven’t written much about this year’s elections for the Texas Supreme Court. In 2010, there was an open seat, and it seemed like there was quite a bit of media activity.

But there is now some actual news coverage to pass along. The Statesman‘s online edition reports on a lawsuit filed by Michele Petty — the presumed Democratic nominee — against Justice Hecht, arguing that he should be ineligible for both the 2012 Republican primary ballot and the 2012 general-election ballot. The suit seeks injunctive relief.

The reason? Each candidate for statewide judicial office is required to have a certain number of signatures from each of the state’s fourteen appellate districts. The petition argues that some of the petitions in Fort Worth were defective, dropping Justice Hecht below the required total.

You can read more:

Early voting started before this lawsuit was filed, so I think it particularly unlikely that a district court will enjoin the ongoing Republican primary, just to investigate (as the petition asks). The petition does, however, also challenge the November general-election ballot. That claim may play out over a longer timeframe.

Source: “Hecht opponent sues to halt ballot printing”