Things Heat Up in Ohio

The battle over Ohio's newly registered voters is intensifying. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat, is now appealing yesterday's ruling by the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeal was filed directly with Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens who oversees the 6th Circuit Court. As NPR's Libby Lewis reported this morning, the language in the appeal is dramatic. An excerpt: "Ohio Secretary of state Jennifer Brunner urgently asks this court to restore order to Ohio's election."

Yesterday's 9-6 decision required the Secretary of State's office to provide each of Ohio's 88 election boards access to a database that contains names of new voters whose registration information doesn't jive with state or federal databases. The ruling is considered a victory for the Ohio Republican Party. As I noted in yesterday's post, it's unclear how -- and when -- the counties will proceed.

-- Sean Bowditch

UPDATE: The SCOTUSblog weighs in: "Justice Stevens may act without asking state GOP officials to respond, or wait until there is a response. He also has the option of sharing a decision with his Court colleagues, or acting alone."

1:32 PM ET | 10-16-2008 | permalink

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