Source: http://ww.jurist.org/j20/election2000/lawsuits.php
Timestamp: 2019-04-18 18:32:48+00:00

Document:
The Florida recount unleashed a veritable blizzard of lawsuits, opinions, orders and letters. This annotated collection is selective, and is designed to highlight major developments in the leading cases (for additional documents, see the institutional links indicated, or click here). All key documents included are in PDF format unless otherwise indicated, and require the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
The Bush Campaign and certain Florida voters assert that the Florida recount raises constitutional issues within the jurisdiction of the federal courts.
Request for U.S. Supreme Court stay and review of the December 8, 2000 ruling of the Florida Supreme Court in Gore v. Harris (see below) holding that manual recounts should resume. On December 12, 2000, in a split decision which effectively ended the recount controversy and ensured George W. Bush's status as President-elect, the Court reversed the Florida Supreme Court and remanded the case for final order and certification.
Request for U.S. Supreme Court review of the November 21, 2000 ruling of the Florida Supreme Court in Palm Beach County Canvassing Board v. Harris, (see below) holding that hand recounts may continue. The Supreme Court granted certiorari and heard oral arguments on December 1. On December 3, it issued a per curiam Opinion vacating the Order of the Florida Supreme Court and remanding the case to that court for further proceedings.
In this case (and Touchston, see below) the plaintiffs asserted equal protection and other constitutional violations stemming from the ongoing manual recounts. A federal district court judge and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit both declined to issue an injunction to halt the recounts. The 11th Circuit noted that the primary responsibility for the election rested with the State of Florida and its courts. The United States Supreme Court denied certiorari from the injunction ruling on November 24, 2000. The 11th Circuit heard oral argument on the merits on December 5, 2000 and handed down its Opinion on December 6, 2000, affirming the denial of the injunctions.
Harris et al. v. State of Florida Election Canvassing Commission et al.
As Medina v. Florida Election Canvassing Commission, this suit originally revolved around the counting of absentee ballots that were not received by election day, as Florida statute alledgedly requires. The case was later removed to the U.S. District Court (Florida Northern), where it was joined with Harris v. Florida Elections Canvassing Commission. On December 9, 2000, Judge Maurice Paul ruled against the plaintiffs, finding no basis for rejecting the ballots in state or federal law.
The Bush Campaign sued the Hillsborough County Canvassing Board for rejecting overseas undated and unpostmarked absentee ballots (including military ballots). On December 8, 2000, Judge Lacey Collier refused to order the inclusion of undated ballots, but said that rejection of ballots for lack of a postmark only was contrary to federal law.
This lawsuit alleged that Republican VP candidate Cheney's August trip to Wyoming to register to vote in that state was insufficient to make him an "inhabitant" of Wyoming and no longer an inhabitant of Texas. The Twelfth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides a state's electors may not vote for a President and Vice President if both are inhabitants of the same state with themselves. On December 1, U.S. District Court Judge Sidney Fitzwater, sitting in Dallas, ruled that the plaintiffs lacked standing to pursue this claim and went on to rule that Mr. Cheney cannot be considered an inhabitant of Texas, given his "intent that Wyoming be his place of habitation." On December 7, 2000 the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Judge Fitzwater in an oral ruling from the bench.
The Florida state courts are responsible for interpreting Florida election law.
Gore v. Harris et al.
The Gore Campaign contested the certified returns and sought manual recounts in three Florida counties: Miami-Dade, Nassau and Palm Beach. After an adverse ruling at trial from Judge N. Sanders Sauls, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that manual recounts should resume. The Bush Campaign immediately sought stays from various courts, and certiorari from the U.S. Supreme Court. The Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. 11th Circuit declined to issue stays, but the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay mid-afternoon on Saturday, December 9, and scheduled oral arguments in Bush v. Gore (see above) for Monday, December 11, 2000. On December 12, 2000, in a split decision, the U.S. Supreem Court reversed the Florida Supreme Court and remanded the case back to that Court for further proceedings consistent with its order.
... read the Secretary of State's Notice of Objection to Plaintiffs' "Expedited Trial Calendar"
Jacobs v. Seminole County Canvassing Board et al.
This suit was initially filed by a voter in Seminole County challenging allegedly unlawful assistance given by county election officials to Republican workers who added missing information to absentee ballot applications; it sought disqualification of some 10,000 absentee ballots cast in that county and counted in the Secretary of State's certification. The case was refiled as an election contest and was heard by Florida Circuit Court Judge Nikki Clark; on December 8, 2000, she ruled that despite ballot application irregularities, the election results would stand and no ballots would be set aside. The Supreme Court of Florida upheld her ruling on appeal on December 12, 2000.
Taylor v. Martin County Canvassing Board et al.
This suit challenges the legality of absentee ballots in Martin County which were partially filled in by Republican workers. On December 8, 2000, Judge Terry Lewis ruled that despite ballot application irregularities, the election results would stand and no ballots would be set aside. The Supreme Court of Florida upheld his ruling on appeal on December 12, 2000.
Brown et al. v. Stafford et al.
This suit is an election contest brought by Duval County voters and the Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition against the members of the Duval County Canvassing Board, alleging that due to the form of the ballot used in Duval County, many voters were effectively denied their right to vote.
When the Canvassing Board of Miami-Dade County stopped its manual recount on November 23, 2000, the Gore Campaign filed suit for an Order to have it resumed. The Florida Supreme Court refused to issue such an Order. The Gore Campaign subsequently indicated that, under Florida law, it would contest the election in Miami-Dade County (see Gore v. Harris, supra).
Bush v. Bay County Canvassing Board et al.
The Bush Campaign brought an action to ensure counting of overseas military ballots previously rejected on technicalities. After Leon County Circuit Court Judge L. Ralph Smith, Jr. expressed scepticism about the Bush arguments, the Campaign voluntarily withdrew its suit on November 26, 2000, claiming that the 14 Florida counties named in it were already in "substantial agreement" with the Bush position and so it was not necessary to proceed.
In response to the Palm Beach Canvassing Board's request for guidance in the face of conflicting legal opinions on the permissiblity of conducting a full manual recout, the Florida Supreme Court authorized the County to proceed with its manual recount. On November 17, the Court barred the Secretary of State from certifying the election results pending oral arguments on Monday, November 20. On November 21, 2000, the Court ruled that manually-recounted votes must be included in the final certified tallies. The Bush Campaign appealed to the United States Supreme Court (see Bush v. Palm Beach Canvassing Board, above), which on December 3, 2000, issued a Opinion vacating the Order of the Florida Supreme Court and remanding the case back to it for further proceedings. That Court issued its Order on Remand on December 11, 2000.
This case challenged the Florida Secretary of State's authority to refuse to accept recounted returns after the putative November 14 deadline. On Friday November 17, Judge Terry Lewis ruled that the Secretary, on the limited evidence available, acted within her discretion in declining to include late-filed returns. Before the Secretary of State could certify the Florida returns, however, the Florida Supreme Court issued a stayed pending consideration of the Palm Beach Canvassing Board case (above).

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