December 12, 2000

Supreme Court Rules on Florida Case
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday night that the Florida Supreme Court erred in its order for a manual recount of thousands of ballots in the state contested presidential election. In an extraordinary late-night decision that unfolded on national television, the justices said the recount ordered by the Florida Supreme Court violated equal rights and there was not enough time to conduct a new recount that would meet constitutional muster. "Because it is evident that any recount seeking to meet the Dec. 12 date will be unconstitutional ... we reverse the judgment of the Supreme Court of Florida ordering the recount to proceed," the court said. Without a recount, the certification of Bush as the winner of Florida's 25 electoral votes – and thus the presidency – would stand.

Supreme Court Rules for Bush
By Ron Fournier / Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON -- A U.S. Supreme Court as divided as the nation's voters ruled for George W. Bush in the Florida presidential election case Tuesday night, reversing a state court decision that had ordered new recounts sought by Al Gore. In an extraordinary late-night decision that unfolded on national television, the justices said the recount ordered by the Florida Supreme Court violated equal rights and there was not enough time to conduct a new effort that would meet constitutional muster. "Because it is evident that any recount seeking to meet the Dec. 12 date will be unconstitutional ... we reverse the judgment of the Supreme Court of Florida ordering the recount to proceed," the court said. The court issued its ruling in an unsigned opinion. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas went further in a separate opinion, saying the Florida Supreme Court also violated the Constitution and federal law in ordering the recount.

Head of Democrat Party Urges Gore to Concede
Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat National Committee Chairman Ed Rendell on Tuesday urged Vice President Al Gore to concede the U.S. presidential election after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled for Republican George W. Bush. ``He (Gore) should act now and concede,'' Rendell told MSNBC. The nation's highest court voted 7-2 to reverse a Florida Supreme Court ruling ordering recounts of ballots in the state, holding that the decision violates the U.S. Constitution's protections of equal protection under the law. The decision dealt a crushing blow to Gore's hopes of winning the U.S. presidency.

Gore Team Mulling Next Step
By Sandra Sobieraj / The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - After an excruciating daylong wait, Al Gore his family and aides scrambled Tuesday night to sort through the U.S. Supreme Court's verdict and whether it spelled the end of his long battle to recount Florida's presidential vote. Campaign chairman William Daley, noting that the court decision was ``both complex and lengthy,'' said the vice president and running mate Joseph Lieberman would have no statement on possible next steps until Wednesday.

Bush Team Cheers Court Decision
By Tom Raum / The Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas -- Cheers erupted in the Bush campaign headquarters Tuesday night as news spread that the Supreme Court had handed the Texas governor a crucial victory in his bid for the presidency. Bush attorneys closely examined the ruling, but the initial response was one of growing delight. Aides described the Texas governor as pleased with the ruling but said he wouldn't make a statement Tuesday night, deferring to his point man on the Florida election dispute, James A. Baker III.

Supreme Court Issues Complex Ruling on Election
By Alan Elsner / Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A divided U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a complex decision on the disputed presidential election that sent the case back to the Florida high court to finally resolve the struggle between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore. The ruling, containing at least six separate opinions from the justices, left legal experts puzzled as to the exact implications but appeared to give a big boost to Bush. The court reversed a decision issued last Friday by the Florida Supreme Court that allowed recounts of disputed votes. But it was not immediately clear if recounts could take place under different circumstances with little time left before the Electoral College selects the next president.

Supreme Court Of The United States
Bush vs. Gore
Cornell Law School / U.S. Supreme Court / Opinions

U.S. Supreme Court Decision - Bush vs. Gore
C-SPAN.org
65-Page Ruling in Printable Document File (pdf) format.


Florida House Votes 25 State Electors for Bush
By Paul Simao / Reuters
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) - Florida's Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a plan to deliver the state's 25 Electoral College votes for the U.S. presidency to Republican George W. Bush even as the nation waited for the U.S. Supreme Court to make a crucial ruling on the issue. The resolution naming a slate of Bush delegates to the U.S. Electoral College passed 79-41 with two north Florida Democrats, Reps. Dwight Stansel and Will Kendrick, joining the Republicans' 77-member majority. The proposal now goes to the Florida Senate, which was expected to approve it on Wednesday.

Text of House Bill hb0001A To Appoint Presidential Electors
Florida House of Representatives
A concurrent resolution providing for the manner of appointing electors for President and Vice President of the United States; providing for the appointment of such electors; providing for the filling of vacancies.

Florida House Roll Call #0006 To Appoint Presidential Electors
Florida House of Representatives
HCR 1A: Yeas - 79 Nays - 41 Not Voting - 0

Court: Absentee Ballots Should Count
By Larry Neumeister / The Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - In twin victories for George W. Bush the Florida Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that 25,000 absentee ballots challenged in two Florida counties should count in the state's contested presidential election. On a pair of 6-0 opinions, the justices upheld the rulings of two state judges, both of whom had said the ballots should count even though local election officials had permitted Republican party activitists to add information to their absentee ballot applications.

Americans Await Supreme Court Ruling on Florida Vote
By Alan Elsner / Reuters Political Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tension rose to near the breaking point on Tuesday as the U.S. Supreme Court deliberated in the historic case of George W. Bush versus Al Gore which could decide the winner of the presidential election. The decision could come at any moment but with time running out until a new president has to be sworn in, the nine justices were expected to act swiftly.

Earlier News Articles...

U.S. Supreme Court Ruling Expected Today
By Frank J. Murray / The Washington Times
Justices from both sides of the divided U.S. Supreme Court seemed to agree yesterday that George W. Bush's constitutional rights were violated by Florida's selective recounts without a common statewide standard defining a "legal vote." "Why shouldn't there be one objective rule for all counties, and if there isn't, why isn't it an equal protection violation?" Justice David H. Souter asked David Boies, attorney for Vice President Al Gore. A speedy ruling in the unprecedented case of Bush vs. Gore was expected, probably today, as the high court searched under severe time pressure for the second time in 10 days for a solution to the deadlock that has held the presidency in doubt for a month after the election.

Cracked Judicial Pillar
By Robert Novak / NewsMax.com
WASHINGTON -- It was bad enough that the brief celebration by Al Gore's camp was unexpectedly spoiled Saturday when the long-sought manual vote count was halted after a few hours. Even worse, it was stopped by the driving force of liberal activism for the past half-century: the federal judiciary. The U.S. Supreme Court's order was drenched in irony. The court that so often has been the engine of judicial activism decided, 5 to 4, to move sharply against a blatantly activist foray into election politics.

Capitol Houses In Electoral Tossup
By Bill Cotterell and Nancy Cook Lauer / Tallahassee Democrat
The Florida House is set to toss its "radioactive hot potato" to the Senate today, half hoping the U. S. Supreme Court will intercept it and settle the legal battle between Al Gore and George W. Bush over the state's 25 electoral votes. Two legislative committees approved resolutions Monday to name slates of Republican electors, who would cast the state's vote for Bush. The panels listened to conflicting presentations by constitutional scholars and then heard from private citizens who were just as sharply divided. After the committees voted to send their resolutions to the full House and Senate, Speaker Tom Feeney said the House will begin a five-hour debate at 10 a.m. today and have the resolution ready for Senate action Wednesday.

Electors Slate Ready For Adoption In Florida
By Steve Miller / The Washington Times
The House meets today and the Senate tomorrow, with passage expected of the resolution affirming a slate of 25 Republican electors that were certified last month, although a comprehensive ruling in the Bush vs. Gore case that was argued before the Supreme Court yesterday could stay the Legislature's hand.

No Regrets For The Florida Legislature
Dr. James Hirsen / NewsMax.com
What seems to be lost in the description of the Florida Legislature's proceedings is the fact that the Legislature is actually fulfilling a constitutional mandate to protect the efficacy of the state's electoral system. In its appointment of electors, the Florida State Legislature is ensuring that the original legislative design is properly executed.

Florida Justices May Be Gore's Last Best Shot
By James L. Rosica / Tallahassee Democrat
Two election-related cases now before the Florida Supreme Court could be Vice President Al Gore's last chance - and a long-shot at that - to capture the White House. The court may hear oral arguments as early as today over two failed lawsuits alleging improprieties in absentee ballot requests in Seminole and Martin counties. Leon County Circuit Judges Nikki Clark and Terry Lewis ruled Friday that there were irregularities but not enough to warrant throwing out all 25,000 absentee ballots in the two counties. Clark presided over the Seminole case; Lewis had the Martin suit.

Daschle Blocks Bill On Military Voting
By Rowan Scarborough / The Washington Times
Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle is blocking passage of a bill that would authorize polling places on domestic military installations and ease the obstacles some service members face in absentee balloting.

Will Republicans Surrender the Military Ballot Issue?
By Wes Vernon / NewsMax.com
Perhaps no action in Al Gore’s effort to steal the election has prompted as much outrage among the public as his systematic challenge of military overseas ballots. This issue alone played a major part in advancing the GOP position in the never-ending battle of public perception.

Jackson Predicts 'Explosion' If Gore Loses
By Audrey Hudson / The Washington Times
The Rev. Jesse Jackson yesterday predicted a "civil rights explosion" if the U.S. Supreme Court rules against Vice President Al Gore. Mr. Jackson likened the forthcoming high court ruling on whether a full recount of Florida votes should continue to the 1960s civil rights demonstrations in Selma and Birmingham, Ala. "All that we bled for and suffered for the last 25 years is now in the balance here today. This case is up there with the Dred Scott level of case; did the black man have a right the white was bound to respect?

Labor Bosses Get Gore Demonstrators To Supreme Court
By Wes Vernon / NewsMax.com
WASHINGTON -- For the first time since post-election demonstrations began last month, the pro-Gore protesters outnumbered the Bush supporters at a Washington rally. It soon became clear why. The AFL-CIO made up the bulk of the Gore contingent. The labor leaders are not credited with organizational talent for nothing.

Florida Election Mess Isn't Photogenic
By Dorothy Ho / Editor & Publisher
It's hard to believe it was only two years ago that photographers were jostling each other and running around town just to snap pictures of Monica Lewinsky, the infamous intern in the last big political story of our time. This year, it seems the presidential action down in Florida isn't drawing the same crowds.

Just When Did The Fruitcakes Take Over?
By William T. "Mac" McTavish / Capitol Hill Blue
Right about now, people around the country should be going to their window, throwing it open and screaming "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore" (with apologies for Howard Beale). Face it Toto. We ain't in Kansas anymore. Hell, we may not even be on the planet.