Justices OK state’s open primary

The Supreme Court upheld the state of Washington’s open primary election system, a setback for the Republican and Democratic political parties in the state.

By a 7-2 vote, the court said the state could use a primary system that allowed the top two vote-getters to advance to the general election, even if they were from the same party. Washington never held a primary under the voter-approved system because of legal challenges.

Writing for the majority, Justice Clarence Thomas said that overturning the plan would have been an “extraordinary and precipitous nullification of the will of the people.”