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Judge orders Ophelia Ford's bill paid
Memphis Commercial Appeal ^ | 10/31/8 | Richard Locker

Posted on 10/31/2008 7:07:21 PM PDT by SmithL

State told to take care of legal fees from suit

NASHVILLE -- A federal judge in Memphis has ordered the state to pay $117,263 in attorneys fees to the lawyers who represented state Sen. Ophelia Ford when the Senate voided her 2005 special election.

That was $12,575 less than the attorneys sought. U.S. Dist. Judge Bernice Donald ordered the reduction on the grounds the state was not responsible for costs incurred by Ford in the early days of the proceeding, before the state Senate began its own proceedings to vacate the election. Prior to that, Ford was fighting an effort by Republican candidate Terry Roland to overturn the election, which she won.

Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, said today he thinks "it's absolutely ridiculous that taxpayers are forced to pay her legal fees when she lost the court case.

"All the judge said was, we have to follow constitutional guidelines in a hearing in order to remove her. The amount seems out of line to me."

Ford was first elected in a special vote to fill her brother John Ford's term in Senate District 29, which stretches from Downtown Memphis to Millington.

She won by 13 votes. After media reports surfaced of illegalities in the election -- including votes cast by people under the names of former voters who had died before the election -- Roland formally asked the Senate to void the election.

None of the illegalities were attributed to Ford, but the Senate ultimately decided there were enough illegal votes cast that the results were "incurably uncertain."

On the day the Senate planned to void the election and oust her, Ford tried to block the attempt with a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Memphis. Judge Donald blocked the vote but said the Senate could proceed as long as it followed constitutional due process.

The judge approved attorneys fees totaling $98,763 for the Bogatin Law Firm, $8,800 for law professor Steven Mulroy, $9,700 for law professor Richard Pilde and $2,500 in court costs and expenses.

"We thought the judge's opinion was very well-stated and analyzed, and we're hopeful this will bring an end to the matter," said Ford's principal lawyer in the case, David Cocke of the Bogatin firm.

The state attorney general's office declined to comment on whether it plans to appeal the order.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Government; Politics/Elections; US: Tennessee
KEYWORDS: activistjudge; corruptfamily; cultureofcorruption; deadvoters; fordfraud; fords; memphis; rats
- Ophelia Ford

This is wannabe-Senator Harold Ford, Jr's craziest aunt. The Fords owns a Memphis Funeral Home where dead voters reside.

1 posted on 10/31/2008 7:07:21 PM PDT by SmithL
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Donald, Bernice B.
Born 1951 in Desoto County, MS

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U. S. District Court, Western District of Tennessee
Nominated by William J. Clinton on December 7, 1995, to a seat vacated by Odell Horton; Confirmed by the Senate on December 22, 1995, and received commission on December 26, 1995.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, Western District of Tennessee, 1988-1995

Education:
Memphis State University, B.A., 1974

Memphis State University School of Law, J.D., 1979

Professional Career:
Private practice, Memphis, Tennessee, 1979-1980
Staff attorney, Employment Law & Economic Development Unit, Memphis Area Legal Services, Tennessee, 1980
Assistant public defender, Shelby County Public Defender's Office, Tennessee, 1980-82
Judge, General Sessions Criminal Court, State of Tennessee, 1982-1988
Adjunct professor, Shelby State Community College, 1984-1989

Race or Ethnicity: African American

Gender: Female

2 posted on 10/31/2008 7:07:59 PM PDT by SmithL (Drill Dammit!)
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To: SmithL

Its not worth me posting a thread to ask but did the font size on the FR just get much bigger ?

No other websites on my browser are affected.


3 posted on 10/31/2008 7:09:08 PM PDT by festus (Politics makes for strange bedfellows)
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To: SmithL
who ultimately won the race?
4 posted on 10/31/2008 7:12:14 PM PDT by tioga (A taxpayer voting for Obama is like a chicken voting for Col. Sanders.)
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To: fieldmarshaldj; NewRomeTacitus

Tennessee ping


5 posted on 10/31/2008 7:14:57 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued (If Islam conquers the world, the Earth will be at peace because the human race will be killed off.)
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To: tioga

She won by 13 votes. That was less than the number of dead voters. This Clintonista Activist Judge Donald told the State Senate that they couldn’t kick her out, but they did anyways. However, the geniuses in her Memphis District sent her back to the Senate in the Special Election to replace her. Go Figure.


6 posted on 10/31/2008 7:22:02 PM PDT by SmithL (Drill Dammit!)
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To: SmithL

O feel ya pain....


7 posted on 10/31/2008 7:29:52 PM PDT by Michigan Bowhunter (Democrat socialist liberal scumbags.....how did we let this happen!)
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To: SmithL
Imagine this fiasco times 10,000,000 and we have the 2008 Presidential Election.
8 posted on 10/31/2008 7:32:23 PM PDT by BallyBill (Serial Hit-N-Run poster)
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To: festus

Push the CNTL button and roll your mouse wheel.


9 posted on 10/31/2008 7:45:05 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (G-d is not a Republican. But Satan is definitely a Democrat. And so is Obama.)
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To: festus

Push the CTRL button and roll your mouse wheel.


10 posted on 10/31/2008 7:45:21 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (G-d is not a Republican. But Satan is definitely a Democrat. And so is Obama.)
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To: tioga

Ms. Ford. And she’s been “out sick” for most of her term. She’s basically a drunk.


11 posted on 10/31/2008 8:06:12 PM PDT by TNdandelion (Joe asked the tough questions and got RotoRootered by Team Obama.)
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To: SmithL; Tennessee Nana

Remember, too, that she also stole the special Democrat primary from a fellow rodent. Those Sterno drinkers are a real ethical bunch, y’know...


12 posted on 10/31/2008 8:47:01 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

Thanks for the PING

What fun...

how speshell...

Paying for an election fraud’s legal fees...

/s


13 posted on 10/31/2008 9:27:55 PM PDT by Tennessee Nana (McCain/Palin Now that's a ticket that deserves a tagline)
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To: bert; cva66snipe; DannyTN; don-o; fieldmarshaldj; girlangler; Grammy; hometoroost; Ingtar; ...

Tennessee PING


14 posted on 10/31/2008 9:29:49 PM PDT by Tennessee Nana (McCain/Palin Now that's a ticket that deserves a tagline)
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To: SmithL

AAAGGGGHHHH! Herman Munster’s (or John Kerry’s) sister!


15 posted on 11/01/2008 5:28:08 AM PDT by ViLaLuz (2 Chronicles 7:14)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

Thanks!


16 posted on 11/01/2008 4:51:19 PM PDT by festus (Politics makes for strange bedfellows)
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