Free Republic

Despite the Supreme Court ruling in favor of the Republican challenger in a local election in Pennsylvania, the Democratic winner will keep his seat, despite the fact that his victory may have come from hundreds of ballots the Supreme Court deemed illegal. More than two hundred mail-in ballots cast in the race were challenged by David Ritter— who lost his election for the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas to Democrat Zachary Cohen by a margin of only five votes—on the grounds that the voter signatures did not include dates. In accordance with state law, absentee ballots in Pennsylvania must...

With Election Day less than three weeks away, a Lehigh County judge has rejected a lawsuit by four residents who demanded tighter restrictions on ballot drop boxes. The plaintiffs, all Republicans, demanded the boxes at the government center in Allentown and other parts of the county be open only during “normal” business hours and be monitored in person to make sure voters drop only their own ballots, or ballots they have been authorized to drop. In a ruling issued late Tuesday, Judge Thomas Capehart said evidence presented at hearings on the case showed in-person monitoring had not conclusively reduced third-party...

Former Lehigh County congressman Charles Dent and former Bucks County congressman Jim Greenwood, both Republicans, have endorsed Democratic state Attorney General Josh Shapiro in his campaign for governor over Republican nominee Doug Mastriano. “I’ve been a Republican my entire life, and I have always supported Pennsylvania’s Republican Governors – but in this election, I am proud to endorse Josh Shapiro,” Dent said in a statement released by Shapiro’s campaign. Josh has integrity and always works to bring people together. We may not always agree on every policy position, but that is to be expected. His focus on improving our economy,...

There is a federal court ruling late today regarding mail-in ballots here in Pennsylvania but first... The US Forest Service announcing a temporary halt to controlled burns. The move comes after the service ignited New Mexico's largest wildfire ever during a controlled burn... Joe Biden's approval rating hits a new rock bottom... The Democrat controlled January 6th Committee met with former lawyer for President Trump former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani... Syria Says Three Dead In Israeli Strike Near Damascus... A federal judge ruling against the Biden Administration on its controversial plan to roll back Title 42 designed to control...

Charges were filed against the election judge in Allentown’s 3rd ward on Monday. Everett “Erika” Bickford was charged with two election code violations including prying into ballots. The Morning Call reports the following: Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin on Monday announced charges against an elections judge in Allentown’s 3rd Ward who was accused of tampering with ballots during the Democratic primary race for state representative between Enid Santiago and Peter Schweyer. Everett “Erika” Bickford was charged with two election code violations: insertion and alteration of entries in documents, and prying into ballots, both misdemeanors. Allentown, in Lehigh County in...

The owner of a Lehigh County gym who opened Sunday in defiance of the shutdown of non-life-sustaining businesses received two summary citations, making it the first Lehigh Valley business cited during the coronavirus pandemic. Ed G. Frack opened his gym, SuperSets in Hanover Township, and encouraged other struggling small-business owners and anyone who supported them to join him outside the gym.

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday a Pennsylvania county's 70-year-old seal and flag is allowed to remain after being targeted by the Freedom From Religion Foundation . The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia ruled 3-0 Thursday that after the Supreme Court upheld the Bladensburg "Peace Cross" war memorial in June as a historic monument, the Lehigh County can maintain its seal as a symbol that “has become part of the community.” The seal and flag feature grain silos, the Liberty Bell, a heart, among other items. But it was the cross at the...

A federal judge has ordered a Pennsylvania county to remove the cross from its seal, saying it violated the Constitution. Lehigh Valley County, which is about 40 miles north of Philadelphia, will have to redesign its seal after U.S. District Judge Edward Smith ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), an organization that promotes separation of church and state and which filed the lawsuit against the county, according to The Morning Call. Smith made it known in his ruling that he was not happy about the decision he had to make but was following the...

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Hookah smoke drifted through the restaurant as Elias Shetayh and Aziz Wehbey spoke intently about their support for President Trump, whose temporary halt on immigration from war-torn Syria — their homeland — had touched off a political firestorm. Nearby, a waitress carried out several platters of Mediterranean food to a large Arab American family. Trump is right, in a way, to do what he’s doing,” Shetayh said, discussing the executive order banning certain immigrants from entry into the United States. “This country is going into a disaster. Allentown and surrounding Lehigh County have one of the country’s...