The Day the Presidency Was Stolen from Al Gore and the American People: December 12, 2000, and the Supreme Court Coup
Submitted by BuzzFlash on Wed, 12/12/2007
A BuzzFlash News Analysis
"About 10 p.m. EST on December 12, the United States Supreme Court handed down its ruling in favor of Bush by a 5–4 vote, effectively ending the legal review of the vote count with Bush in the lead. Seven of the nine justices cited differing vote-counting standards from county to county and the lack of a single judicial officer to oversee the recount, both of which, they ruled, violated the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution." The Fateful Moment in the Silent Coup That Stole a Presidency
From: Judith E. Schaeffer, Legal Director, People For the American Way
Re: Bush v. Gore, the Supreme Court and the 2008 Election SeasonSeven years ago, the United States Supreme Court issued its 5-4 decision in Bush v. Gore. By stopping the contested vote count in Florida on December 12, 2000, the conservative wing of the Supreme Court effectively gave the presidency to George W. Bush and took the decision away from the voters.
Less than one year from now, the voters will decide the future of the Supreme Court. The next appointments to the Court will almost certainly be made by the President elected in November 2008, and confirmed by a Senate with new members elected in the same cycle. It’s crucial that voters understand that their votes will help determine the shape of the Court for many years to come, and the anniversary of Bush v. Gore is a timely opportunity to raise the issue for your readers.
more at:
http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/analysis/234 America's Judicial Coup
By Robert, Sam and Nat Parry
December 12, 2007
Editor’s Note: In accepting the Nobel Peace Prize – and a measure of vindication that came with it – Al Gore recalled the painful events seven years ago when five Republicans on the U.S. Supreme Court stopped the counting of votes in Florida and handed the Presidency to George W. Bush.
At the time, many in Official Washington rejoiced at the decision on the grounds that it spared the country more partisanship. It also was the result that many top pundits wanted, the “election” of the well-liked Texas governor and the return of the so-called Republican “adults” who supposedly would guide him.
There was remarkably little concern among the Washington elites that the will of the American people was being overturned, that Gore had won a plurality of the votes cast across the country and was almost certainly the choice of Florida voters, too.
The hot word of the moment was “legitimacy.” It was deemed important to assure the American people that Bush’s selection was “legitimate” even if Bush would be the first popular-vote loser in more than a century to enter the White House.
But
the day that those five U.S. Supreme Court justices overturned a recount order from the Florida Supreme Court – Dec. 12, 2000 – also was a turning point in American history.more at:
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2007/121107a.html DECEMBER 11, 2007, 6:08 PM
Will the Supreme Court Decide the 2008 Election-BEFORE-The Votes Are Even Cast?
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
In 2000, the Supreme Court decided that George W. Bush was the winner.
In 2008, the court may once again have something to say about the election — but this time, it may do it before the votes are even cast.The court will hear oral arguments next month in a critically important election case. Crawford v. Marion County Election Board is a challenge to Indiana’s harsh voter ID law.
The law, pushed through by Republicans in 2005, requires registered voters who cast ballots in person to provide current government-issued photo ID.
…………….
The case is coming to the Supreme Court from the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. A three-judge panel of that court upheld Indiana’s law. The two judges appointed by Republican presidents voted in favor of it. The one appointed by a Democrat dissented, writing: “Let’s not beat around the bush: The Indiana voter photo ID law is a not-too-thinly-veiled attempt to discourage election-day turnout by certain folks believed to skew Democratic.”
It is quite possible that the Supreme Court will also break down on liberal-conservative lines. It might well rule in favor of the Indiana law — and help the Republican Party’s electoral chances — by the same 5-4 margin as in Bush v. Gore.
If the 2008 election is close, Americans will be looking at things like the decision in this case to figure out what provided the victory margin. It would be tragic if a sharply divided Supreme Court decided a presidential election for the second time in eight years.more at:
http://theboard.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/11/will-the-supreme-court-decide-the-2008-election/?hp
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