BradBlog: EXCLUSIVE FL-13 UPDATE: ES&S Moves to Strike U.S. House Admin Committee Letter

[Wilms]

EXCLUSIVE FL-13 UPDATE: ES&S Moves to Strike U.S. House Admin Committee Letter

Voting Machine Company Claims Chairwoman's Missive 'An Attempt to Intimate, Unduly Influence' Court

Plaintiff Attorney Says Claim is 'Remarkable', 'Takes a Lot of Chutzpah'

BY Brad

1/9/2007

Describing it as a "threat...intended to interfere with the independence of the judiciary" in Florida's 13th Congressional District election contest, one of the defendants in the case, Elections Systems & Software, Inc. (ES&S), has filed a motion to strike a letter sent last week to Florida's appellate court from the Chair of the U.S. House Administration Committee, The BRAD BLOG has learned.

snip

In today's motion , obtained this afternoon by The BRAD BLOG, ES&S demands the court strike Millender-McDonald's letter from the record. They claim that it's an "unauthorized, non-party response" and that her letter was a "thinly veiled attempt...to intimidate this Court and unduly influence its deliberations in order to give Petitioner (Jennings), a member of Millender-McDonald's political party, an unwarranted advantage in this election contest."

That, despite the fact that Jennings has challenged the election in the U.S. House under the Federal Contested Elections Act and that a letter , similarly from the U.S. House Administration Committee --- then under Republican rule --- sent to a California court was instrumental and cited by the Judge in the dismissal of a contested U.S. House Special Election last summer between Brian Bilbray (R) and Francine Busby (D) in California's 50th district.

snip/links to documents

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4008


And congrats to Brad, et. al. for 4000 (and 8) reports.

[kster]

1. K&R..nt

[BradBlog]

2. 4000 (and 8)???

Yeesh. Wish you hadn't made me notice. But thanks for the kudos. Clearly, me needs a nap.

As well, looks like I was posting today's alert elsewhere on DU with this story as well at the same moment you posted this. Hope I'm not in trouble. Again.

The other post, however, includes a bunch of bonus stories. Including one heckuva new dot in the EAC/Ciber Labs story first popped by NYTimes last week.

Thanks again, Wilms.

[druidity33]

6. link to other post? n/t

[Kurovski]

3. Geez Louise!

There's just no end to the shit-baggery.

[rodeodance]

5. I second the Emotion!

[Ellipsis]

4. Now this is an interesting development.

...Looks like somebody's getting a little nervous. Jeepers*, you think this is a stalling tactic?

K&R


Edited to add: If they didn't want focus, they sure got it now.




*Green Bay Wisc. exclamation of excitement.

[bleever]

7. "ES&S claims government should stay out of elections."

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[Kurovski]

8. ES&S is a private company...

what's the matter bleever? Are you anti-privacy?

What, are you a Commie or sompthin'? :rofl::rofl:

Conversely--and in reality--ES&S is more of a pirate company and we are more of the anti-piracy sort.

[kster]

11. Yea, the Goverment should stay out of elections , Yea, Yea,

thats the Ticket!

[happydreams]

9. Proprietary rights vs. voting rights

From the above link:

...Circuit Court Judge William L. Gary held in his decision at that time that the proprietary "trade secrets" of ES&S took precedence over Florida voters' right to know what actually occurred in their own U.S. House election....

Shiiiiiiit! by that measure ANY AND ALL investigations into business practices could be halted.

"When property rights violate human rights, human rights prevail--Abraham Lincoln.

[seafan]

10. Local story link here. ES&S is starting to sweat a bit more.

ES&S urges court to ignore letter from congresswoman