Overview
- The Supreme Judicial Court reinstated Republican Michael Walsh to the September attorney general primary ballot after ruling that the original objection failed to meet the state’s certified‑mail filing rule.
- The court’s decision followed a lower court finding that there was substantial evidence of fraudulent or forged nomination signatures but that the commission lacked jurisdiction because the challenge was not sent by certified or registered mail.
- Justice Frank Gaziano separately upheld the removal of Republican lieutenant governor candidate Anne Manning Martin, saying a properly mailed objection showed enough problematic signatures to bar her from the ballot.
- Norfolk and Plymouth county prosecutors have opened criminal investigations into the signature‑gathering work tied to both campaigns, and those probes could lead to charges or further legal action that affect final ballot lists.
- Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin has pressed for rapid resolution because officials must meet federal deadlines to prepare and send primary ballots to overseas and military voters and because confirmed ballot placement affects access to roughly $1.4 million in public campaign funds.