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Posted on 10/07/2002 11:09:39 AM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection
Edited on 05/07/2004 8:26:47 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court won't hear New Jersey Republicans' challenge to Democrats replacing Sen. Robert Torricelli on the ballot for November elections.
The GOP was hoping to overturn a ruling from New Jersey's highest court that allowed former senator Frank Lautenberg to replace Torricelli as the Democratic Senate candidate.
(Excerpt) Read more at channelcincinnati.com ...
I contacted the Forrester campaign last week with a well-reasoned plan for me to register as a Democrat and file suit against the NJ Democratic Party. I'm still waiting for a call back from their legal counsel . . .
High Court Won't Take N.J. Sen. Case
Mon Oct 7, 2:11 PM ETBy ANNE GEARAN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court refused on Monday to be drawn into New Jersey's Senate dispute, allowing the Democrats to replace their candidate one month before the election.
AP Photo
The case resurrected memories of the court's intervention in the Bush-Gore presidential contest. But this time the justices stayed out and let the decision of a Democratic-dominated state supreme court stand.
The Democrats may now go ahead with plans to replace Sen. Robert Torricelli (news, bio, voting record) with former Sen. Frank Lautenberg on the Nov. 5 ballot in their effort to retain their one-seat hold on the Senate.
New Jersey Republicans had called the switch a political ploy intended to dump a candidate who seemed sure to lose in favor of a potential winner. They had asked the Supreme Court to stop the Democrats, arguing that the candidate swap came too close to Election Day.
The high court did not explain its reasons for rejecting the GOP appeal.
Word from the high court came on the first day of the new Supreme Court term, and a week after Torricelli bowed out of his re-election race.
Torricelli said he would step aside after polls showed him losing ground to Republican challenger Douglas Forrester who had made Torricelli's ethics problems the focus of his campaign.
The Democrats quickly chose Lautenberg as a replacement, and the Republicans went to court.
New Jersey's highest court unanimously approved the candidate switch, a decision that Forrester's lawyers had said "opens the doors of American elections to considerable mischief."
The Republicans appealed to the high court last Thursday, arguing that the candidate swap was both illegal and unconstitutional. State law prevents such an 11th hour switch, and it could strip voting rights from absentee and overseas voters, the GOP argued.
About 1,700 absentee and overseas military ballots have already been mailed with Torricelli's name on them.
If the state ruling stood, "political parties will be encouraged to withdraw losing candidates on the eve of election, replacing them with candidates who have not gone through the rigors of the nomination process in hopes of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat," Republicans argued to the justices in a court filing last Thursday.
There was plenty of time to reprint ballots, Democrats assured the Supreme Court in paperwork filed Friday.
"It may be that Forrester believes he will be politically hurt by the New Jersey Supreme Court's judgment and is simply unwilling to say so," Democrats wrote.
As in the 2000 election fight, Republicans contested a ruling from a majority-Democrat state court.
The Supreme Court surprised both sides by jumping into the fight two years ago, ending ballot recounts in Florida by a bitter 5-4 vote. Democrat Al Gore (news - web sites) had sought the recounts in hopes of erasing George W. Bush's tiny lead.
New Jersey Republicans are also pursuing a separate challenge in federal court in Trenton on behalf of two people the party contends could lose their votes.
The Supreme Court case is 02-A-289.
___ http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=514&ncid=514&e=3&u=/ap/20021007/ap_on_el_se/new_jersey_senate
Amen, my friend.
Think it impossible?
Oh, heavens no! Just when you think you've heard and seen it all from the Dems, they push the envelope even further. Their evil creativity knows no bounds.
Forrester should campaign on the rule of law issue and highlight Democratic Party sleaze from now til eleciton day. Voters will respond.
By the way, I came across this great satire at Unremitting Verse blogspot.
Torchy
(With apologies to Rudyard Kipling)
The party boys all come to see me, faces glum and gray:
"The party needs you now, old friend—it needs you far away.
Now, Torch, we hate to say it, but there's so much damn bad
ink—
Italian suits are pretty, but they make an awful stink."
O it’s Torchy this, and Torchy that, and "Torchy, pack it in."
It was "Robert, you’re a wizard" when the money helped
‘em win—
The money helped ‘em win, my boys, the money helped
‘em win,
It was "Robert, you’re a wizard" when the money helped
‘em win.
They didn’t mind my ethics when I ran DSCC,
My ethics didn’t matter when I shook the money tree,
Applause and smiles were mine as long as I was at the top,
But ethics start to matter when the polls begin to drop.
Now it’s Torchy this, and Torchy that, and "Torch, you’ll
lose, no doubt."
It was "Thank you, Mister Chairman" when the checks
were flying out—
The checks were flying out, my boys, the checks were
flying out,
It was "Thank you, Mister Chairman" when the checks
were flying out.
"The senator will see you now," my secretary said.
You bet he’ll see you—raise you, too: he must be amply fed.
"What’s in the bag? A gift for me? You shouldn’t—what a
guy!"
I didn't twist their arms, you know—they all lined up to buy.
Now it’s Torchy this, and Torchy that, and "Torch, they’re
on your tail."
It was "Please accept this gift, sir" when the favors went
on sale—
The favors went on sale, my boys, the favors went on
sale,
O it’s "Please accept this gift, sir" when the favors go on
sale.
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