GOP Critics Want DOJ to Reinstate Panther Voter Intimidation Case
Some Republican lawmakers are asking the Justice Department to refile civil charges against the New Black Panther Party in a controversial voter intimidation case.
U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., cites an opinion from the Congressional Research Service that says the charges could be refiled without violating the ban on double jeopardy, the Washington Times reports. The original complaint filed in Philadelphia federal court alleged two members of the group wielded a nightstick and made racial threats at a Philadelphia polling place last November.
Wolf has written a letter (PDF) to Attorney General Eric Holder asking for reinstatement of the case.
Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler says top career lawyers in the Justice Department recommended dropping the case after a review found the claims were not supported by the facts and the law. But the Washington Times says it was a political appointee, associate attorney general Thomas Perrelli, who approved the dismissal.
Schmaler added that the Justice Department did obtain an injunction against the party member who brandished the nightstick and will enforce its terms.
FOX News posted this YouTube video of the polling place.
Related coverage:
The Hill: “GOP, Holder Battle over New Black Panthers”
Wall Street Journal (opinion): “Holder Winks at Voter Intimidation”
