-4- Nos. 56 & 58 health emergency,” the Court determined that “the belated filing of these specific documents is not a fatal defect” (id. at *1). Hawatmeh Ola Hawatmeh is a prospective Conservative Party candidate for the office of Member of the United States House of Representatives for the 19th Congressional District. From March 14 to March 24, 2020, Hawatmeh underwent prescheduled, out-of-state cancer treatment. On March 20, a petition was filed to designate Hawatmeh a Conservative Party candidate in the 19th Congressional District primary. Because she was not a member of the Conservative Party, Hawatmeh was required to file a certificate of acceptance (Election Law § 6-146 [1]). She failed to file the certificate by the recently established March 24 deadline (see Election Law § 6-158 [2]; L 2020, ch 24, § 1), and the State Board determined that Hawatmeh’s designating petition was invalid because the certificate of acceptance was not timely filed. Hawatmeh subsequently commenced a proceeding to validate the designating petition. Supreme Court dismissed the petition, agreeing with the State Board that Hawatmeh’s certificate of acceptance was not timely filed. The Appellate Division, Third Department, affirmed, with one Justice dissenting, holding that the Court had no discretion to excuse the late filing (Matter of Hawatmeh, 2020 NY Slip Op 02907, at *2). Although the Court was “sympathetic to the difficult situation that [Hawatmeh] was placed in due to the pandemic,” it determined that “the equitable remedy that she seeks is unavailable” (id.). -4-