Gingrich Gives Up On VA Ballot

Newt Gingrich is dropping his lawsuit to have his name placed on the Virginia primary ballot.

Gingrich gave no explanation for throwing the in the towel on the legal battle for a spot on the March 6 ballot. However, recent rulings in the dispute have not gone his way. On Jan 13, U.S. District Court Judge John Gibney ruled that Gingrich and three other candidates who failed to make the ballot: John Huntsman, Rick Perry, and Rick Santorum, waited too long to challenge Virginia's procedures. Gibney said a Virginia requirement limiting petition circulators to residents of the state was probably unconstitutional, but there was not enough time to sort that out before the election. On Jan. 18, a three-judge panel of the appeals court upheld the thrust of the lower court's ruling.