Federal judge orders New Jersey to redesign Democrat primary ballots

A federal judge issued a decision ordering the redesign of New Jersey's unique primary ballot that gives party-backed candidates an advantage which is a major blow to the Democrat Party.

U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi issued the decision on behalf of a case brought by Representative Andy Kim (D-NJ) who filed the suit earlier this year arguing the ballot design was unconstitutional.

Kim argued that the ballot design made it so that candidates endorsed by county party leaders were shown in a single column, which Kim and two other congressional hopefuls said allowed them to be more prominently featured and gave them an edge.

Kim celebrated the decision saying it was a "victory for a fairer, more democratic politics in New Jersey."

This decision was really a victory for Kim and a big loss for the New Jersey Democrat Party which had seemingly designated Tammy Murphy, the wife of Gov. Philip Murphy, as its preferred candidate over Kim.

Nonetheless, this is a repudiation of the greater Democrat Party and illustrates that there are significant fractures of which that Republicans can and should take advantage.