COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- A federal judge has scheduled a hearing for a federal lawsuit over a South Carolina Supreme Court decision that removed nearly 200 candidates from ballots for the state's June 12 primaries.

U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie has scheduled the hearing for Thursday afternoon in Columbia.

Last week, state Senate candidate Amanda Somers filed the lawsuit, arguing that her candidacy was thrown into question after the justices ruled that financial- and candidate-intent paperwork must be filed at the same time.

Somers was ultimately certified to remain on the ballot, but nearly 200 candidates were not.

State senators are considering a proposal that would restore most of the candidates' names, but such a fix would require U.S. Department of Justice approval.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)