Word: scotus
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...According to briefs filed Wednesday at the Supreme Court, the Bush team views their looming appearance before the Justices as nothing less than a test of the complete post-vote process. Their argument holds that if SCOTUS finds the Florida Supreme Court acted outside its jurisdiction in extending the recount tally deadline - that it does not, in their view, have the power to override preexisting election laws - the Court has simultaneously nullified Gore's contest of the Florida election results...
...first scenario, the Supreme Court accepts the case, hears it all the way through and rules against Bush. In the second, SCOTUS rules for Bush on the pre-certification extension, but refuses to rule on the subsequent contesting of the Florida vote. Back in Tallahassee, if Leon County judge Sanders Sauls rules in favor of Gore and allows the recount to take place, Gore could still win the election...
...SCOTUS "vacated" the Florida Supreme Court's decision to extend the state's certification deadline, essentially asking the lower court Justices to clarify their opinion and the reasoning leading up to it. The unsigned brief was less decisive than a traditional ruling but spoke volumes to the Florida Supreme Court judges, who will now decide whether to take the case up again and resubmit an opinion. In the meantime, if the SCOTUS decision stands, George W. Bush's lead reverts to the 900+ vote figure he enjoyed prior to the certification deadline extension...
...Where could it go from there? If Bush loses on the Sunday numbers, and SCOTUS turns him down, that's it. Unless he redirects, sends his lawyers back up the chain with a Gore-style contest. But that would be off-message, and anyway by then we may hear from the Florida legislature, whose Republicans can declare Bush president by a majority of representatives. Bush seems the more likely to go political...
...statistically probable comes to pass, and the hand counts go on over Bush's now next-stop-SCOTUS objections, some day next week Palm Beach, or Broward, or Miami-Dade will find enough lost votes to put Al Gore over the top in Florida, and over the top in the election...