Thread by @ZoeTillman

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…

2a) The judge addressed the "Purcell principle" re: not making changes close to an election, writing it didn't apply because the public interest was served at this point by enhancing voter access, not violating voting rights

3) A PA federal judge dismissed Trump's lawsuit challenging PA's plans to allow drop boxes, to lift signature match req, and to limit poll watchers. Judge Ranjan (a Trump nominee) rejected Trump's voter fraud args as too speculative for the case to survive assets.documentcloud.org/documents/7224…

3a) The judge also rejects Trump's claims on the merits: "...the election regulations put in place by the General Assembly and implemented by Defendants do not significantly burden any right to vote. They are rational. ... They will not otherwise be second-guessed by this Court."

Texas has already appealed last night's injunction and asked the 5th Circuit to issue a stay that would reinstate Abbott's drop box ban: assets.documentcloud.org/documents/7224…

On this extremely litigious election season, and how judges are becoming the final arbiters of how Americans vote remotely during the coronavirus pandemic: buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…

Initial, temporary win for Texas before the 5th Circuit: The court granted an administrative stay while it considers the merits of Texas' request for a longer-term stay of the district court injunction blocking Gov. Abbott from restricting the no. of drop boxes for ballots

tldr: Texas Gov. Abbott's order restricting counties from having multiple ballot drop boxes is back on for now. Response brief due Oct. 12.

Note that this panel features not one, not two, but three judges who are on Trump's SCOTUS short list.