Top stories: court rulings on ballot matters

Lots of news today, and my day starting late, but these two stories need immediate highlighting:

1. The State Supreme Court (I think) overturned a lower court ruling, such that Tony Payton is considered the winner in the contested 179th State House district primary. The ruling involved discounting some 50 write-in votes for another contender (Emilio Vazquez), many of which had also marked Payton's box. This seems like the right ruling on the specifics, whatever the confused result might mean about voter opinion and party whip-cracking. Anyway, congrats to Tony, the grassroots candidate, and best of luck to him in the general election and then in Harrisburg. (Note that the article mentions another round of appeals, so I guess it's not over until the voting machines light up on November 7...)
   (via Young Philly Politics)
   
   
2. The State Supreme Court has also turned back Carl Romanelli's appeal of the signature threshold for ballot access. More here. Here also there is more likely appeals action to come, but this was probably the best basis for a ballot claim, and the cause that elicited most sympathy (outside the Santorum offices, who are shaking their fist at the judicial system once again).
   (via daily Kos)