Voting has already started, but judges across the country are still rushing to sort out numerous legal fights over mail-in and absentee voting during the pandemic. A deep dive on the messy state of play: buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
Over the span of just four days this week, there was a breathtaking flurry of court action affecting how millions of Americans can vote in the November election. And more big decisions are imminent with less than a month to go until Election Day. buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
In some states where litigation is pending, election officials told me they've been in a holding pattern as far as notifying voters about rules and deadlines buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
New: After dismissing a legal fight over drop boxes for ballots in Ohio, thinking it was all squared away, the judge reopened it and granted an injunction requiring the Sec. of State to allow boxes after learning the SoS was not allowing offsite collection assets.documentcloud.org/documents/7223…
The judge is really not pleased with the Ohio Sec. of State's conduct: "The Court has given the Secretary every opportunity to address the problem identified at the September 23 hearing, and he has been unwilling or unable to do so."
Court action continues to move fast and furious around election practices — three rulings of note since last night alone: 1) 6th Circuit ruled 2-1 that the Ohio Sec. of State can restrict drop boxes for ballots, reversing a district judge's injunction: assets.documentcloud.org/documents/7224…
1a) The majority and dissent disagree about what exactly the "status quo" is that the court should be preserving. Judge White writes in dissent that it was the SoS's "last-minute directive" barring counties from having drop boxes/offsite collection that changed the status quo
2) A federal judge in Texas blocked Gov. Abbott's order banning counties from having more than one drop box. The judge wrote that Abbott's last-minute change was far more likely to create confusion for voters at this point than reopening drop sites assets.documentcloud.org/documents/7224…
New: A Florida federal judge won't reopen voter registration after the state's website crashed on the last day, BUT had extremely harsh words for state officials: "This case is about how a state failed its citizens." assets.documentcloud.org/documents/7224…
"In so ruling, this Court notes that every man who has stepped foot on the Moon launched from the Kennedy Space Center, in Florida. Yet, Florida has failed to figure out how to run an election properly — a task simpler than rocket science."
"This case is about how a state failed its citizens."
A judge slammed Florida for how it handled its voter registration website crashing on the last day, but ultimately ruled against extending the deadline. buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
The Supreme Court Warned Against Changing Voting Rules Near Election Day, And Then Did It Anyway buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
In a brief order with no dissents, SCOTUS last night revived a South Carolina's rule that absentee voters have a witness when they sign their ballots. But voting is already underway in SC, so the justices were in the odd spot of having to address that buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
SCOTUS revived South Carolina's witness rule for mail-in ballots, but allowed a two-day grace period for ballots already in the mail (see: buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…). NJ, which is defending its longer timelines for ballots against a Trump lawsuit, argues SCOTUS helped their case
On the SCOTUS segment during tonight's debate:
- We didn't learn much we didn't already know about where Trump and Biden stand on filling RBG's seat. Trump made clear they'll push Barrett's nomination through during the lame duck session if they can't get her confirmed by Nov. 3
- Trump asked how Biden could know Judge Barrett's views on Roe v. Wade. Setting aside what we know about Barrett's views on abortion and how she's voted on the bench, Trump has explicitly said he will pick justices who will reverse Roe so...that's one way Biden could know
- Biden declines to engage on whether he'd support court packing (he's prev. said he doesn't support it), pivots instead on making a pitch to people to vote.
But court packing will now go down in history as the issue that prompted Biden to say to Trump, "Will you shut up man"
Hello from my dining table, where I'll be listening remotely to arguments set to start at 11am on DOJ's motion to dismiss the prosecution against Michael Flynn. For a refresher on the months-long legal fight over whether this hearing should happen at all: buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
The judge will do the hearing via video conferencing, but the public/press can only call in to listen to the audio. If you'd like to dial in, the court has made multiple lines available to accommodate lots of callers! (There were already 300+ people on the line when I dialed in.)
The lawyers had been chatting amongst themselves for a while but it's now gotten a lot quieter after someone noted that everyone who had called in could hear them
Rick Gates, the former Trump campaign official and Manafort right-hand man who pleaded guilty in the Mueller probe, had a virtual reentry hearing this a.m. about how he's doing on probation — he's in compliance and doing his community service hours with the American Red Cross
It was a very short hearing, lasting about 10 minutes. Gates said that he's doing his community services hours by working with a servicemember assistance program through the Red Cross, which he can do remotely from home during the pandemic
Judge Amy Berman Jackson said that he's making progress paying off his fine and back taxes, and re: his ability to earn money, noted that he has a new book out. He joked that if she bought a copy it'd help.
To which Jackson replied: "I don't think I'm buying any of these books."