Opinion ID: 44626
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The TDP Has Direct Standing

Text: 6 First, the TDP has direct standing because DeLay's replacement would cause it economic loss. The district court found that the TDP would suffer an injury in fact because it would need to raise and expend additional funds and resources to prepare a new and different campaign in a short time frame. Tex. Democratic Party v. Benkiser, ___ F.Supp.2d ___, 2006 WL 1851295,  (W.D.Tex. July 6, 2006) (hereinafter Dist. Ct. Op.). This finding of financial injury is not clearly erroneous because it is supported by testimony in the record. In addition, economic injury is a quintessential injury upon which to base standing. E.g., Barlow v. Collins, 397 U.S. 159, 163-64, 90 S.Ct. 832, 25 L.Ed.2d 192 (1970). 2 7 The RPT argues, however, that the TDP should be expected to absorb any additional costs that a replacement candidate would cause in order to promote the state's interest in voter choice. In addition, the RPT points out that its own candidate will have to put together a campaign in a short period of time. These fairness arguments have no place in the standing analysis. Indeed, the RPT's briefs confuse the issue of whether the TDP has shown an injury in fact with the different question of whether the TDP has a cause of action. The cases the RPT cites to support its fairness arguments were themselves decided on the merits. 3 In short, regardless of the equities in this case, injury to the TDP's proverbial pocketbook is an injury in fact for standing purposes. 8 Turning to causation and redressability, the RPT's declaration of ineligibility and replacement of DeLay with a different candidate would be a but-for cause of the TDP having to expend additional money on a new campaign strategy. And the district court's injunction prevents the declaration of ineligibility and replacement, thereby redressing the TDP's injury. 9 A second basis for the TDP's direct standing is harm to its election prospects. The TDP's witnesses testified below that if the RPT were permitted to replace DeLay with a more viable candidate, then its congressional candidate's chances of victory would be reduced. In addition, according to the TDP, down-ballot Democratic candidates, like county commissioners and judges, would suffer due to the change's effect on voter turnout and volunteer efforts. The RPT contends that these harms do not amount to an injury in fact. Voluminous persuasive authority shows otherwise. 4 We find these cases persuasive because a political party's interest in a candidate's success is not merely an ideological interest. Political victory accedes power to the winning party, enabling it to better direct the machinery of government toward the party's interests. See Storer v. Brown, 415 U.S. 724, 745, 94 S.Ct. 1274, 39 L.Ed.2d 714 (1974). While power may be less tangible than money, threatened loss of that power is still a concrete and particularized injury sufficient for standing purposes. 10 Having found injury in fact in the TDP's threatened loss of political power, we also find causation and redressability. The injury threatened to the TDP's electoral prospects is fairly traceable to Delay's replacement and likely would be redressed by a favorable decision, which would preclude a Republican replacement candidate.