Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_06-cv-02923/USCOURTS-cand-4_06-cv-02923-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 441
Nature of Suit: Civil Rights Voting
Cause of Action: 28:1331 Federal Question: Other Civil Rights

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

JOSEPH HOLDER, et al.,

Plaintiffs,

 v.

BRUCE MCPHERSON, et al.,

Defendants. /

No. C 06-2923 SBA

ORDER

[Docket No. 36]

This matter comes before the Court on Plaintiffs' Ex Parte Application for Order Shortening

Time for Hearing on Motion for Remand. Plaintiffs' Ex Parte Application is opposed by defendants

Bruce McPherson, Elaine Ginnold, Anne Barnett, Victor Salazar, Colleen Baker, Candace Grubbs,

Mikel Haas, Kathleen Williams, Marsha Wharff, Conny McCormack, Deborah Hench, and Theresa

Nagel.

In Plaintiffs' Ex Parte Application, Plaintiffs request that this Court set Plaintiffs' Motion for

Remand for hearing on June 20, 2006 and impose an expedited briefing schedule, such that the

defendants' opposition briefs would be due on June 12, 2006 and Plaintiffs' reply briefs would be due

on June 16, 2006. Plaintiffs argue that an expedited resolution of the Motion to Remand is warranted

because "[d]elay in deciding the Motion to Remand will impact the timely resolution of the substantive

issues set forth in the Petition by the state court and may compromise the fundamental right to vote and

the integrity of the California elections." Mot. at 3. Specifically, Plaintiffs argue that the "[s]hortening

the time for hearing . . . will facilitate the resolution of Petitioners' claims – which, if successful, would

result in the decertification of the AV-Tsx [voting system]– in time to present the use of the AV-TSx

in the November 7, 2006 general election." Id. Additionally, Plaintiffs note that the California State

Legislature has determined that petitions for writ of mandate brought under the California Elections

Code shall be heard in preference to all other civil matters. 
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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As defendant Bruce McPherson ("McPherson") points out in his Opposition, however, Plaintiffs

fail to reconcile their current need for urgency with the fact that they waited over a month to file the

Motion for Remand. Further, as defendant McPherson also points out, Plaintiffs' reliance on California

Elections Code § 13314(a)(3) – which provides for the priority of certain election-relation petitions for

writ of mandate – is misplaced, as § 13314 is ordinarily applied in the context of alleged errors in ballots

and ballot-related notices, not challenges to voting system decisions. The persuasiveness of Plaintiffs'

Ex Parte Application is also undermined considerably by the fact that it is premised heavily on the

timing of the June 6, 2006 election, but was filed only four days before the election, thereby depriving

the Court of the opportunity to sufficiently consider, or resolve, Plaintiffs' ex parte request before that

date. Indeed, Plaintiffs have not identified any harm that will be suffered by any party if the Motion for

Remand is heard, as currently scheduled, on July 18, 2006. Additionally, defendant McPherson has

convincingly established that the importance of this issue supports a finding that all of the parties should

be allowed to have adequate time to brief the Motion to Remand, not a finding that this Court should

significantly curtail the normal briefing schedule and hastily adjudicate the Motion. 

Accordingly, 

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT Plaintiffs' Ex Parte Application [Docket No. 36] is DENIED.

Plaintiffs' Motion for Remand [Docket No. 37] shall be heard on July 18, 2006. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

 Dated: 6-12-06 SAUNDRA BROWN ARMSTRONG

United States District Judge