Posted on 11/01/2004 6:11:40 PM PST by dubie
WASHINGTON — The Ohio Supreme Court issued a 4-3 ruling late Monday that gives a partial victory to Republican poll watchers who earlier had been denied by two federal judges.
The court ruled that state law allows one challenger per political party at each precinct. Republicans had registered its challengers at the polls by precinct, but Democrats had registered one challenger at each polling place. In Ohio's most crowded areas, like Cleveland, more than one precinct can be found in each polling place, meaning Republicans could have a numerical advantage in the number of challengers present.
On top of that, the 6th District Court of Appeals reversed two rulings by federal judges that would have prevented the parties from posting challengers at polling places. Earlier in the day, the judges ruled that poll workers, not outsiders, should determine voter eligibility.
An order by U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott (search) of Cincinnati found that the application of Ohio's statute allowing challengers at polling places was unconstitutional.
In a similar case, U.S. District Judge John Adams (search) of Akron said poll workers are the ones to determine if voters are eligible.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
This is great news...but should we be worried about them appealing to the US Supreme court?
The peasants with pitchforks have appeared at the Dlott mansion.
not enough time... no way it will happen.
Hey, this is actually a double victory. Great news!
Nothing to worry about even if they do appeal.
There are currently 8 Supremes in condition to hear a case (Chief Justice Rehnquist is hors combat for the moment). 3 are conservatives, 2 are moderate Republicans, one is liberal Republican and two are liberal Democrats by party.
But this issue doesn't really break down on party lines. Pollwatchers are not a liberal/conservative issue per se, and absent a showing that pollwatching has had an invidious discriminatory effect, it is highly unlikely that the Supremes would postulate one. There would probably be a 9-0 or 8-1 decision upholding the 6th Circuit's ruling.
If, however, the court degenerated into shadow partisanship, the two conservative justices would vote to uphold. O'Connor was herself an elected Republican pol before becoming a judge. It is difficult to imagine her voting against pollwatchers to prevent the very sort of electoral fraud she had to directly contend with as a candidate. There is no reason to think the Justice Kennedy would come down against pollwatchers, but even if he did, the court would break 4:4. And in the event of a tie, the lower court's decision would be upheld.
It won't go to the Supremes, but even if it does, the Supremes will merely uphold the 6th Circuit's ruling...if they bother to hear the case (which they probably wouldn't- and that too would produce the same effect).
This is a purely partisan political case. The higher courts are not going to be interested in playing that game.
I just read elsewhere Dashcle is trying to do the same thing in SD tomorrow where one of his handpicked judges will rule.
I hope Rehnquist gets better and SCOTUS does take this case.
It is pretty disgusting that the decision was only 4-3.
If Bush wins, it is time to clean up this country.
If Bush does not win, we better start arming everyone in our families.
This is great news and all of my votes for the Ohio Supreme court tomorrow will be Republican too...Go Bush!
*** PING ***
here we have:
GOP CHALLENGERS ALLOWED AT OHIO POLLING PLACES (SIXTH Circuit Court of Appeals)
And here we have:
Ohio Supreme Court Rules to Allow Challengers
A number of other threads were pulled....
This is great news... the Bush campaign and republicans will have enough people on hand to combat potential fraud and continue on with the GOTV efforts :)
GO BUSH!!!
heard this on Fox News. Good for them! (us)
BUMP.
Finally... :)
Nice!
Klintoon has been a guest in Stan Chesley's home here in Cincy for fund raisers as well. Susan Dlott is the liberal judge hack who saddled Cincinnati with a federal monitor for our police force after race riots in Cincinnati in 2001. The monitors she has appointed have been thrown out on their @$$ for embezzling city (taxpayer) funds. But her and her shyster POS husband, and the liberal dims have succeeded in making Cincinnati the biggest cesspool in the midwest. I don't even go into the city unless I absolutely have to anymore. I've even changed my work location to the township so I can recoup all the city taxes they take out.
Someday soon the only people left in Cincinnati will be Dlott, Chesley, criminals, thieves, rioters, and the dim city council....and I'm betting you won't be able to tell any of them apart.
Supreme court will not stop challengers. I just heard of fox news. A victory for fraud protection. GO BUSH!!!!
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