The ruling is expected late this spring. If he wins, which many expect him to, it will re-landscape third party politics in the United States.
Fusion means nominating the same candidate for office by both a major and one or more minor parties.
Often the candidate will appear on the ballot line for each nominating party. If Candidate Johnson wins an election by ten percent, and ten percent of her votes came from people voting on the minor party's line, Candidate Johnson must be accountable to the minor party to win re-election. Voters face dilemmas when they enter the ballot box and confront a choice between major and minor party candidates. These dilemmas are reinforced when fusion is illegal, as it is in 42 states. By so doing, they may give the victory to their last choice, the other major party candidate.