Page:United States Reports 502 OCT. TERM 1991.pdf/439

 502us2$22M 08-19-96 17:40:23 PAGES OPINPGT

Cite as: 502 U. S. 279 (1992)

281

Syllabus means of advancing Illinois’ interest in limiting the ballot to parties with demonstrated public support, since it would require petitioners to collect twice as many signatures to field candidates in the county as they would need if they wished to field candidates for statewide office. See Illinois Bd. of Elections v. Socialist Workers Party, supra. Even if Illinois could have constitutionally required petitioners to demonstrate a distribution of support throughout Cook County, it could have done so without also raising the overall quantum of needed support above what the State expects of new statewide parties. Moreover, it requires elusive logic to show a serious state interest in demanding a distribution of support for new local parties when the State deems it unimportant to require such support for new statewide parties. Pp. 291–294. (d) Nonetheless, requiring candidates for suburban-district offices to obtain 25,000 nominating signatures from the suburbs does not unduly burden their right to run under the HWP name. Just as the State may not cite the HWP’s failure in the suburbs as reason for disqualifying its candidates in the city district, neither may the HWP cite its success in the city district as a sufficient condition for running candidates in the suburbs. P. 295. 3. The issue whether the HWP’s failure to field judicial candidates doomed the entire slate is remanded to the State Supreme Court to consider in the first instance. Pp. 295–296. Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded. Souter, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Rehnquist, C. J., and White, Blackmun, Stevens, O’Connor, and Kennedy, JJ., joined. Scalia, J., filed a dissenting opinion, post, p. 296. Thomas, J., took no part in the consideration or decision of the cases.

R. Eugene Pincham argued the cause and filed briefs for petitioners in No. 90–1126. Kenneth L. Gillis argued the cause for petitioners in No. 90–1435. On the briefs were Jack O’Malley, Burton Stephen Odelson, and Mathias William Delort. Gregory A. Adamski argued the cause for respondents. With him on the brief for respondents Reed et al. was Karen Conti. Messrs. O’Malley, Odelson, and Delort filed a brief