William Crist v. Commission on Presidential Debates and Janet Braun, Director of the Commission on Presidential Debates

William Crist appeals from the judgment of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Brieant, J.) dismissing his action against the Commission on Presidential Debates (“CPD”) and its director. He challenges the CPD’s policy of limiting participation in the United States presidential debates it sponsors to candidates who have demonstrated a particular measure of popularity, alleging that the policy violates Crist’s right as a voter to free speech under the First Amendment because (as the district court has characterized his claim), “he cannot hear the third party…