ASsman
10-30-2004, 11:29 AM
Bush administration lawyers are now attempting to overturn decades of legal precedence by claiming that under the Help America Vote Act only Attorney General John Ashcroft -- and not individual voters - have a right to ask federal courts to enforce voting rights. [includes rush transcript] Bush administration lawyers are attempting to overturn of legal precedence by claiming that only Attorney General John Ashcroft and not individual voters have a right to go to federal courts to enforce the right of citizen's to vote. This according to the Los Angeles Times.
In legal briefs filed in Ohio, Michigan and Flordia, the Bush administration is arguing that only the Justice Department, and not voters themselves, may sue to enforce the voting rights set out in the Help America Vote Act which was passed after the 2000 election.
Veteran voting rights lawyers say this would overturn decades of legal precedent and could greatly affect any legal challenge to Tuesday's election.
According to the paper, since the civil rights era of the 1960s, individuals have gone to federal court to enforce their right to vote, often with the support of groups such as the NAACP, the AFL-CIO, the League of Women Voters.
Even the Supreme Court has backed the idea of private suits. In 1969, the justices issued a ruling in a case related to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that "the achievement of the act's laudable goal would be severely hampered ... if each citizen were required to depend solely on litigation instituted at the discretion of the attorney general."
* Steve Mulroy, former Justice Department voting rights litigator. He now teaches law at the University of Memphis.
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Well, Im glad that we can atleast have rights to not be able to protect ourselfs. Cup half full, not half empty.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/29/1414225
In legal briefs filed in Ohio, Michigan and Flordia, the Bush administration is arguing that only the Justice Department, and not voters themselves, may sue to enforce the voting rights set out in the Help America Vote Act which was passed after the 2000 election.
Veteran voting rights lawyers say this would overturn decades of legal precedent and could greatly affect any legal challenge to Tuesday's election.
According to the paper, since the civil rights era of the 1960s, individuals have gone to federal court to enforce their right to vote, often with the support of groups such as the NAACP, the AFL-CIO, the League of Women Voters.
Even the Supreme Court has backed the idea of private suits. In 1969, the justices issued a ruling in a case related to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that "the achievement of the act's laudable goal would be severely hampered ... if each citizen were required to depend solely on litigation instituted at the discretion of the attorney general."
* Steve Mulroy, former Justice Department voting rights litigator. He now teaches law at the University of Memphis.
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Well, Im glad that we can atleast have rights to not be able to protect ourselfs. Cup half full, not half empty.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/29/1414225