Gore Considers Joining Seminole County Lawsuit
CNSNews.com
The Gore campaign may now be open to joining a Democrat lawsuit that seeks to discard more than 15,000 absentee ballots in heavily Republican Seminole County. If successful, the case could reverse the Florida election results and let Al Gore seize the White House. Gore has been reluctant to support the Seminole County lawsuit because of the simultaneous battle being fought by his lawyers to get questionable ballots in Democrat-ruled Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties counted again. With time running out for Gore to overturn the Florida election results, he may be changing his mind about the Seminole County suit.
Gore Remains Focused On Obtaining Recount
By Andrew Cain / The Washington Times
Vice President Al Gore's presidential bid appeared on life support last night after a Florida judge refused to order additional ballot counts. But at this point, Mr. Gore has no plans to concede. "Absolutely not — we're focused on getting this recount," Gore spokesman Chris Lehane said last night. Mr. Gore's attorneys filed an appeal with the Florida Supreme Court. "Everyone always expected this would ultimately be resolved before the highest court in Florida, the state Supreme Court," Mr. Lehane said.
Gore's Options Running Low on Race
By Ron Fournier / The Associated Press
Al Gore's prospects for winning the presidency dimmed Monday when a
state judge refused to overturn George W. Bush's certified victory in
Florida and the U.S. Supreme Court set aside a ruling that had allowed
manual recounts. Running out of options, the vice president's team
pleaded with Democrats to stick with him a few more days.
Seminole Ballot Case May Hinge On 1996 Ruling
By Rene Stutzman and Kevin Connolly / The Orlando Sentinel
Four years ago, employees in the Volusia County elections office altered 6,000 absentee ballots, re-marking them with a felt-tipped pen because a machine couldn`t read the marks made by voters. In the Volusia case, the court ruled that elections officials don't have to be perfect. All they have to do is substantially comply with the law, said Donald Lively, dean of Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville. That will be one of the key issues before state Circuit Judge Nikki Clark, who is scheduled to preside over the Seminole case Wednesday in Tallahassee. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled today.
Justice Dept. Examining Alleged Voting Irregularities In Fla.
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Justice Department has sent representatives to Florida to gather information about alleged voting irregularities, a spokeswoman said Sunday. The department has received complaints that blacks and other minorities were impeded by voting officials when they tried to cast ballots in several Florida locations. ``We have two people in Florida, but this is still part of our inquiry to gather information to see what if any federal investigation is warranted,'' Justice Department spokeswoman Kara Peterman said Sunday.
Two Gavels Have Nailed Gore's Political Coffin Shut
By Jack Thompson / NewsMax.com
Sunday night, in the middle of 3 1/2 hours of closing arguments in the
courtroom of Judge Sanders Sauls, Bush-Cheney attorney Barry Richard
nailed it: "At the start of this proceeding I told the court that Mr.
Boies had the burden of proof to show that these canvassing boards
abused their discretion in counting the votes the way they did. Mr.
Boies has utterly failed to do so."
Justices' Unsigned Opinion Is Vague By Design
By Frank J. Murray / The Washington Times
The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday used intentionally fuzzy language to hold nine votes but did not hesitate to take the key steps that Vice President Al Gore's lawyers predicted it never would. The order returned the matter to Florida's Supreme Court "for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion," an unexpected step that sent the seven Florida justices scurrying into conference to reconsider — and perhaps rewrite — their own opinion to better conform with federal supremacy. Last night, the state court ordered new briefs on the issues by 3 this afternoon and planned to hold a hearing on its options.
Gore's Uphill Climb Gets Steeper
By Bennett Roth / Houston Chronicle
WASHINGTON -- Democrat presidential contender Al Gore's uphill battle to sell the public and his party on his claim to the White House grew steeper Monday with two legal setbacks, including a devastating blow in Florida.
Religious Right Made an Impact at Ballot Box
By Richard N. Ostling / The Associated Press
New York (AP) - The religious right has not faded, as some pundits suggested before the election, but instead turned out voters who helped Republicans maintain their majority in the House, analysts say.
The Lame Ducks Limp Back
By Dale McFeatters / Scripps Howard News Service
The lame-duck Congress slips back into Washington this week, and, putting aside the ritual demands of rote partisanship, the lawmakers seem as baffled as the public by the Florida stalemate. Congress perhaps hopes that stalemate will distract voters from noticing its own awkward stalemate: It is more than two months behind in finishing the government's fiscal 2001 budget.
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