By TESS WILLIAMS, Associated Press

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A law that made it more difficult for Nebraska’s nonpartisan candidates to seek higher office was overturned and ruled unconstitutional Thursday as part of an agreement with the secretary of state.

Secretary of State John Gale settled a lawsuit that was brought by Omaha businessman Kent Bernbeck and the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska. As part of the agreement, a federal judge declared the law unconstitutional and ordered Gale not to enforce it.

The 2016 law increased the number of signatures candidates need to collect to gain ballot access from 4,000 to over 120,000, which is 10 percent of registered voters. The law made Nebraska’s signature requirement one of the highest in the nation. Thirty-seven states require fewer than 10,000 signatures for candidates to gain ballot access.

Bernebeck launched an independent bid for state treasurer partially to bring attention to the restrictions on nonpartisan candidates. He said the 3,000 percent increase was unconstitutional because it prevented nonpartisan candidates from running and took options away from voters.

To qualify for the November election, Bernbeck will now need to collect 4,000 signatures. He declined to comment on if he has begun the process. If Bernbeck’s name appears on the ballot, he will challenge the Republican-backed state Sen. John Murante of Gretna, who introduced the law. Murante will otherwise be unopposed.

“I got the law overturned and I exposed a politician who was maybe doing this for impure motives,” Bernbeck said. “At this point it’s up to the people of Nebraska to decide if they support my candidacy.”

Bernbeck filed the lawsuit at the end of May and said he did not expect the law to be repealed so quickly.

Murante said he respects the opinions of the secretary of state and court, but argued the Legislature “passed the measure with bipartisan support and in a transparent fashion.”

Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha attempted to challenge the law earlier this year when he planned to run for governor as an independent candidate. He initially planned to start his own party to avoid the high signature requirement, but instead joined the Democratic Party to launch his campaign. Krist dropped his lawsuit after switching his party affiliation.

“This law was a slap in the face to 21 percent of registered Nebraska voters who are non-partisans,” he said in a statement Thursday.

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The Latest on developments with the Keystone XL oil pipeline (all times local):
5:25 p.m.

An attorney for an organization opposing the Keystone XL oil pipeline says the “fight is not over” after the South Dakota Supreme Court dismissed a legal appeal from project foes.

Robin Martinez, an attorney for conservation and family agriculture group Dakota Rural Action, said Thursday the high court’s decision is “disappointing.” But Martinez says the organization is regrouping and evaluating its options.

A TransCanada Corp. spokesman says the pipeline developer is pleased with the ruling, which found the courts lacked jurisdiction to hear pipeline foes’ cases and dismissed their appeal.

The Cheyenne River Sioux and Yankton Sioux tribes and Dakota Rural Action appealed to the high court after a judge affirmed state regulators’ approval for the pipeline.

It would move crude oil from Canada across Montana and South Dakota to Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines feeding refineries along the Gulf Coast.
___
1:55 p.m.
A TransCanada Corp. spokesman says the Keystone XL oil pipeline developer is pleased with the South Dakota Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss a legal appeal from opponents fighting the project.

The high court ruled Wednesday that a lower court lacked jurisdiction to hear pipeline foes’ cases and ended their appeal.

The project would move crude oil from Canada across Montana and South Dakota to Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines feeding refineries along the Gulf Coast.

TransCanada spokesman Terry Cunha said Thursday the company is working to get needed land easements for the pipeline in Nebraska.

But Nebraska landowners have filed a lawsuit challenging the Nebraska Public Service Commission’s decision to approve a route through the state.

A separate federal lawsuit brought by Montana landowners and environmental groups seeks to overturn President Donald Trump’s decision to grant a presidential permit for the project.
___
10:08 a.m.
South Dakota’s Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal from opponents of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, saying a lower court lacked jurisdiction to hear their cases.

Groups fighting TransCanada Corp.’s pipeline appealed a judge’s decision last year upholding regulators’ approval for the pipeline to cross the state.

But the high court ruled Wednesday that justices didn’t “reach the merits of the case” because the lower court lacked jurisdiction to hear the appeal of the Public Utilities Commission’s decision.

Attorneys for appealing groups haven’t returned telephone messages requesting comment. TransCanada hasn’t responded to an email seeking comment.
The project would move crude oil from Canada across Montana and South Dakota to Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines feeding refineries along the Gulf Coast.

RUSHVILLE, Neb. (AP) — Officials say a western Nebraska sheriff’s deputy has been arrested after being accused of physically abusing a child.

The Nebraska State Patrol says in a news release Wednesday that Sheridan County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Henry has been arrested on suspicion of child abuse and strangulation, stemming from an incident that happened Tuesday. The patrol did not give details on the incident.

Officials say the child was taken to an area hospital and appears to be in good health.

Henry was booked into the Dawes County Jail in Chadron.

A message left Wednesday for Sheridan County Sheriff Terry Robbins seeking comment on Henry’s employment status was not immediately returned.