Case News & Commentary

It was another week filled with significant developments in election litigation. See below for details on significant filings. Michigan In Michigan Alliance for Retired Americans v. Benson, Judge Cynthia Stephens of the Michigan Court of Claims granted the plaintiffs’ request for preliminary relief, permitting third party assistance in collecting absentee ballots. Under the judge’s ruling this assistance can happen from the weekend before Election Day through Election Day. Judge Stephens also ordered that absentee ballots postmarked by the day prior to Election Day and received within 14 days are eligible to be...

There have been many developments in election litigation this week, the first week after Labor Day and the beginning of the election season in earnest. See below for details on significant filings. Arizona In Arizona Democratic Party v. Hobbs, the district court granted plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction, requiring the state to extend the time for voters to provide missing signatures on their mail-in ballots. Florida In Jones v. DeSantis, a divided 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the state of Florida in a dispute over felon voting rights. Georgia In Black...

Although we are still a month away from the traditional Labor Day start of the presidential campaign season, the battle in the courts over how the election will be conducted is already well underway. While some amount of litigation would have happened in any event, much of the early activity is a result of alterations of the voting processes in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This week alone has seen major developments in at least three separate federal lawsuits, each involving how absentee voting is being conducted this year. Some...