Title: In Re: Nomination of Tony Payton, Jr. (Per Curiam Order)
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 25 MAP 2008 AND 69 MM 2008
State: Pennsylvania
Issuer: Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Date: April 18, 2008

J-104-2008 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA MIDDLE DISTRICT IN RE: NOMINATION PETITION OF TONY PAYTON, JR. FOR THE OFFICE OF REPRESENTATIVE IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY DISTRICT NUMBER 179 APPEAL OF: JOHN A. DANFORD IN RE: NOMINATION PETITION OF TONY PAYTON, JR. FOR THE OFFICE OF REPRESENTATIVE IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY DISTRICT NUMBER 179 PETITION OF: TONY PAYTON, JR. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : No. 25 MAP 2008 Appeal from the Order of Commonwealth Court at No. 99 MD 2008 No. 69 MM 2008 Candidate's Petition for Review ORDER PER CURIAM DECIDED: April 18, 2008 AND NOW, this 18th day of April, 2008, the order of the Commonwealth Court is hereby AFFIRMED. With regard to appellant’s claim that the invalidity of specific signatures or pages of the nomination petition invalidates other signatures or the petition as a whole, we note, “The invalidity of any sheet of a nomination petition … shall not affect the validity of such petition … if a sufficient petition … remains after eliminating such invalid sheet.” 25 P.S. § 2936. Thus, a court cannot presumptively invalidate nomination signatures based on nothing more than the invalidity of other signatures obtained by the circulator. See In re Referendum Petition to Amend the City of Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter, 694 A.2d 1128, 1132-33 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1997); see also In re Nomination Petition of Flaherty, 770 A.2d 327, 337-38 (Pa. 2001) (refusing to invalidate signatures obtained by circulator, despite striking numerous invalid signatures by same circulator). Candidate’s Petition for Review is hereby DENIED as moot. Appellant’s Application to be Excused from Filing Reproduced Record is hereby DENIED as moot. Mr. Justice Saylor files a Concurring Statement which Madame Justice Todd and Mr. Justice McCaffery join.