NPR: Judge Decides Old Rules Apply for Dems in Nevada

Judge Decides Old Rules Apply for Dems in Nevada

A federal judge ruled today that Nevada's Democratic presidential caucuses can take place Saturday under rules set by the party several months ago. The rules had been challenged by six residents along with the state's teachers union who said they created an unfair imbalance in the voting.

Judge James Mahan said existing election law allows for the Democratic Party to resolve the difference internally and that it's not the place of the federal court to adjudicate how the party conducts its caucuses.

At issue were at-large precincts inside nine Las Vegas resorts. The precincts were created last year by the Nevada Democratic party to make it easier for hotel workers to vote in Saturday. The rules about the precincts had been in place for several months with no complaints. But when the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 decided to back Sen. Barack Obama, the rules were challenged in court by a group seen to be backers of Sen. Hillary Clinton.

If you want an idea of how concerned the Clinton campaign was about the situation, take a look at this exchange that is being widely circulated around YouTube and political blogs. Former President Bill Clinton has a testy conversation with political reporter Mark Matthews of San Francisco's KGO-TV over the lawsuit.

When Matthews suggests a connection between the legal action and Mrs. Clinton's supporters, Mr. Clinton retorts: "We had nothing to do with that lawsuit. I read about it in the newspaper."

Clinton also said that "Their votes [in those nine at-large precincts] will be counted five times more powerfully, in terms of delegates to the state convention, compared to delegates to the national convention."

But The Las Vegas Sun "did the math" on the caucus formula, and couldn't see how the president and others came up with the suggestions that they could dominate the state's results.

4:59 PM ET | 01-17-2008 | permalink

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