Arizona’s Citizenship Requirement for Federal Voting to Be Reviewed by Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether Arizona may require would-be voters to submit proof of citizenship before registering and voting in federal elections. Arizona is asking the court to overturn a ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that found the Arizona requirement…

Oct 15, 2012 4:10 PM CDT

In Second Loss for Ohio in Election Disputes, 6th Circuit Upholds Counting of Wrong-Precinct Ballots

A federal appeals court based in Cincinnati has ruled that Ohio must count ballots cast in the wrong precinct but the right polling place. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (PDF) that the ballots should count if poll workers caused the error, report the Wall Street Journal Law…

Oct 12, 2012 12:04 PM CDT

Law School Email Draws Fire Amid Hotly Contested Retention Election for 3 Top Florida Judges

An unusual political battle over an upcoming retention election for three Florida Supreme Court justices has now embroiled one of the state’s law schools. As detailed recently by the Tampa Bay Times, the Republican Party of Florida, in an unprecedented move, announced last month that it would oppose the retention…

Oct 9, 2012 3:42 PM CDT

Judge Halts Enforcement of Pennsylvania Voter ID Law

A Pennsylvania judge has enjoined enforcement of the state’s voter ID law, allowing state voters to cast ballots in the upcoming presidential election without obtaining photo identification. Judge Robert Simpson issued his decision on Tuesday, report the Philadelphia Inquirer, Reuters, Forbes and the Associated Press. According to the Inquirer and…

Oct 2, 2012 2:44 PM CDT

A Vote for Fair and Open Elections

American people should have a meaningful voice in shaping our country’s future

Oct 1, 2012 9:20 AM CDT

Arkansas Supreme Court OKs Medical Marijuana Ballot Measure

The Arkansas Supreme Court approved a proposed medical marijuana ballot measure on Thursday for the state’s Nov. 6 election. If the measure passes Arkansas will be the first southern state to allow medical marijuana use, the Associated Press reports. Under the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act (PDF), physicians there could prescribe…

Sep 27, 2012 5:04 PM CDT

Federal Judge Says Ariz. Can Enforce ‘Show Papers’ Law; Top Pa. Court Calls for More Voter ID Review

Ruling this week on a controversial state law requiring individuals to provide identification, a federal judge in Arizona has OK’d a so-called “show me your papers” provision allowing authorities to check the identities of those thought to be possible illegal immigrants. However, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has asked a Commonwealth…

Sep 19, 2012 9:23 PM CDT

Ex-Lawyer Steven Lippman Gets 3 Years, Says Ex-Partner Scott Rothstein ‘Played Me Like a Fool’

A newly disbarred South Florida lawyer was sentenced Friday to three years in federal prison, in the latest fallout from the implosion of the Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler law firm operated by convicted Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein, who is also disbarred and serving a 50-year federal prison term. Although Steven Lippman,…

Sep 14, 2012 6:19 PM CDT

DOJ Accuses Bancroft Lawyers of Using Wrong Font Size in Voter ID Case

A legal dispute over South Carolina’s voter ID law evolved into a dispute over font size over the weekend. Lawyers from the Justice Department accused lawyers from Bancroft who represented the state of using 12-point font rather than required 13-point font, the National Law Journal reports. Emails were exchanged on…

Sep 11, 2012 1:32 PM CDT

Once Again, Legal Battles over Voting Procedures Could Delay Election Results

Will the presidential election once again hinge on a legal battle over voting procedures? The New York Times sees the possibility in a story on a flurry of legal battles over voter ID laws, limits on early voting, and the counting of provisional ballots. Nearly a dozen decisions in the…

Sep 10, 2012 2:20 PM CDT

In ‘Reverse Benchslap,’ Judge Responds to Criticism by 9th Circuit’s Reinhardt

Appeals Judge Stephen Reinhardt didn’t get the last word in a dispute over a lower court’s alleged foot-dragging in a ballot dispute. On Wednesday, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency stay that allowed Nevada ballots to be printed with language giving voters the option…

Sep 7, 2012 1:26 PM CDT

In ‘Remarkable Smackdown,’ 9th Circuit Allows Nevadans to Vote for None of the Above

A federal appeals court has granted an emergency stay that will allow Nevadans to choose “none of these candidates” in the November election. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals assumed jurisdiction in the case in “a remarkable smackdown,” according to the Recorder’s Legal Pad blog. U.S. District…

Sep 6, 2012 6:34 PM CDT

Poll Vaulting: As November Looms, States Still Battling over Voter ID Laws

Sep 1, 2012 8:20 AM CDT

Federal Court Strikes Down Texas Voter ID Law

A federal court ruled that the state of Texas could not show that a new voter ID law would not harm the voting rights of its minorities and struck down the legislation. The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia was unswayed by state…

Aug 30, 2012 9:45 PM CDT

Judge Won’t Block Pennsylvania’s Voter ID Law

A judge in Pennsylvania ruled Wednesday in favor of a controversial state law requiring voters to produce photo identification at the polls. After a week-long hearing, Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson ruled against an injunction request that would have prevented the law from going into effect for the upcoming Nov.…

Aug 15, 2012 2:52 PM CDT