WI Voter Suppression Suit Dismissed

By TChris, Section Civil Liberties
Posted on Fri Oct 24, 2008 at 10:13:30 PM EST
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Wisconsin's Attorney General, J.B. Van Hollen, is a dutiful Republican who wants to be noticed. In a blatant attempt to suppress newly registered voters, Van Hollen sued the state to force local clerks to perform laborious cross-checks of new voter registrations and drivers license records. Fortunately, he isn't very good at what he does.

Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi ruled Thursday that Van Hollen had not shown any laws had been broken. She further ruled that Van Hollen didn't have the power to bring the lawsuit even if he'd identified violations of the law.

Despite Van Hollen's pleas for an expedited judgment, Judge Sumi took her time and reasoned her way to a sound decision. Van Hollen says he'll appeal, but at this point he's just making unnecessary noise.

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WI Voter Suppression Suit Dismissed | 7 comments (7 topical)

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Even (none / 0) (#1)
by cal1942 on Fri Oct 24, 2008 at 10:21:33 PM EST

if he won on appeal would there be enough time for the clerks to do that volume of cross checking?

This is the same suit brought in Ohio (none / 0) (#2)
by sallywally on Sat Oct 25, 2008 at 09:42:11 AM EST

against Ohio's Sec of State, Jennifer Brunner. The Repubs have had the suit dismissed or ruled against in the federal appellate court, the US Supreme Court, and the Ohio Supreme Court.

Then House Majority Leader John Boehner wrote to the DOJ asking them to go after Brunner but had no response. Then he wrote to Bush asking him to intervene and order the DOJ to go after Brunner. Apparently the WH just sent the letter on to the DOJ.

So hopefully nothing will come of it, and it's the limit of what they can do in voter suppression. Maybe it will even prevent them from litigation after the election.

Then we mainly have to worry about hacking of the touch-screen voting machines made by Republican owned companies.....

No, not the same (none / 0) (#4)
by Cream City on Sun Oct 26, 2008 at 03:07:24 AM EST

as Wisconsin's is about state law, not federal law.

See earlier posts in archives, etc.


Thanks for clarifying. (none / 0) (#5)
by sallywally on Sun Oct 26, 2008 at 11:11:55 AM EST

There's litigation going on regarding NW Indiana, apparently, regarding the many new registrants and concerns about that area being just like the "Chicago Machine."

Do you have info/comments on this?


On Gary, what I know is from the primary (none / 0) (#6)
by Cream City on Sun Oct 26, 2008 at 02:55:39 PM EST

and if you recall that night, even the network idjits who were so pro-Obama were appalled at how badly the Gary vote reeked.

From what I saw then and read since, the Gary mayor makes the Chicago machine look like something made by Rube Goldberg. I fully expect that on election night, there will be word of shenanigans again in Gary.

But this time, what I'm also hearing from relatives in Indiana is that a lot of people won't look the other way. Those outside Gary are d*mn mad and determined to do something about it. I hope it won't get too ugly that night . . . but I would not be surprised to see this be a litigious election again.


: Yep, (none / 0) (#7)
by sallywally on Tue Oct 28, 2008 at 10:30:39 PM EST

Update....the DOJ is fine with Ohio's SoS (none / 0) (#3)
by sallywally on Sat Oct 25, 2008 at 10:42:22 PM EST

and her handling of these voter registrations the Repubs are trying to have challenged, basically.

So our Jennifer Bruner is in contact with the DOJ and working with them to continue our state's own work in weeding out any invalid registrations - which Ohio's system has been doing all along, as far as I know.

Whooppee!!