"Marc Elias said that when electors in Cochise County refused to certify local election results, Elias’ law firm obtained an order compelling them to do so."
I was confused about the role of a private law firm and government entities responsible for enforcing states' election laws, but Marc Elias explains it on his Democracy Docket:
"...some states have specific statutes that outline a process to follow if a local official won’t certify an election. 'So in Michigan, for example, the state law allows state election officials to take over certification at the local level if a local official refuses to certify,' she explained.
In other states, the courts can step in, at the request of a voter, candidate, or another state official. The process, known as a writ of mandamus, involves a court to step in to legally compel a government official — in this case, an election official — to fulfill their duties, like certifying an election.
But what happens when an election official refuses to comply with a court order to certify an election? They could be removed from their position."
It's reasonable to expect a much higher volume of rogue/corrupt election officials planted to deny voting results not in favor of MAGA Republicans. It's prudent to prepare ahead of November 5 for these disruptions. We can spread the word to support Democracy Docket with donations and subscriptions.
I had a similar thought about preparation, Ellie. It would seem to be a virtual certainty that there will be attempts to sow chaos in the certification process, so perhaps having the appropriate suits drafted and ready to file would be worthwhile.
Thanks for this useful info; it's a scary scenario and everything we can do to shore up the supports is helpful. I hope people will both support Marc Elias, who is a treasure, and distribute your discussion far and wide so that more people understand what will be going on this fall...
Check out the Democracy Docket website where you can choose to subscribe and/or support (donate). Links various vote-related cases are in the right frame. https://www.democracydocket.com/
Thanks, Ellie. I just keep wondering about the judges themselves, the "line in the sand" who are supposed to be the backstops to any efforts to block certification.
While we’ve heard of two far right wing federal judges, there are thousands and thousands of local, state, and federal judges who live and breathe the rule of law as a matter of normalcy that does not make the news.
If our election win is stolen from us, there will be millions of dems in the streets. We are fed up and will not tolerate it. And the Supreme Court better believe this.
Having been wined and dined and showered with lavish gifts by his billionaire 'friends' over the years Clarence Thomas always insisted that those friends didn't have cases pending before the Supreme Court. One wonders though, why of all the luxury trips he tried keep that one in 2010 under wraps.
In January 2010 SCOTUS with its Citizens United decision drove the last nail into the coffin called campaign financing regulation, ensuring a free for all for billionaires and corporations to influence elections. Thomas not only cast a decisive vote in the 5:4 decision. He penned a concurring opinion deploring certain disclosure provisions arguing that anonymous free speech was protected by the First Amendment and that making contributor lists public makes the contributors vulnerable to retaliation.
Harlan Crow, Thomas' host on that luxury South Pacific trip later that year must have been elated. So was the trip a little Thank You for a job well done? Honi soit qui mal y pense.
Thanks for the comment on Thomas's CU concurrence. The Founders would have hysterics over the idea that anonymity in public discourse was protected. In fact, anonymous public discourse is a contradiction in terms and another risible abuse of the language by an embarrassment of a Supreme Court Justice.
Thank you for adding the deep space picture (s) and information. It's a welcome respite as well as fun to be participating in your hobby without having to do anything (lol). They are amazing pictures and bring to mind many existential thoughts and questions.
Though the stars give the nebula context, I like the shot without stars because the colors and shape of the nebula are more apparent. I also appreciate that RH ends these letters with a reminder that there is a bigger picture out there that we need to pay attention to - in so many ways!! Thanks!
Robert, I hope you will show us the two shots from today and the third, with the stars re-inserted! It will be fun to see the difference! And, on a personal level, may I say how completely impressed I am that you have the ability to navigate what has to be very complicated camera software on top of writing your wonderful newsletter! Wow!!
Once upon a time, I had full faith and confidence in the Supreme Court to fulfill its role as the independent, co-equal, third branch of our government. Despite some questionable rulings, I felt that in the balance, we were in good hands. The stacking of the court by McConnell for the benefit of perhaps the most corrupt president in our history changed that.
I was lulled into obeisance with Chief Justice Roberts's seemingly steady hand and desire to keep the Court above the fray. With the Court's inexplicable lack of ethics and its abrogation of the very oaths the Justices each took to protect and defend the Constitution and "administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich," I have lost my faith in the institution. Chief Justice Roberts is a Supreme disappointment, and his tarnished legacy has been cast.
I believe our only recourse is to have an overwhelming election of reform-minded Democrats, and a concerted effort to right the Court-ship by rebalancing its ideology and imposing an enforceable code of ethics to replace the toothless fig-leaf the Court adopted last year.
I do not need any more enthusiasm for the Harris campaign. I will accept her choice of running mate and support the ticket 100%. I know for Black people being told you cannot do something is a call to show them wrong. We see this in VP Harris herself, and I imagine all of the Black voters that will go out and stand in long lines, and appeal being thrown off the voter rolls by the creepy wealthy people of Ziklag spending money to try to remove registered voters whom they believe are Democrats from the rolls in swing states. https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-ziklag-secret-christian-charity-2024-election
Those identified swing states are getting a lot of attention, but not from Trump. He is campaigning with one appearance a week. Otherwise I believe he is playing golf, though soon enough he will be back in court, just in time for the majority of the voters to start paying attention. Putting the Supreme Court in the public eye at that time too, makes it harder for them to overthrow the election. I am not worried about States certifying the election, because I trust Marc Elias of Democracy Docket and his team to fight these challenges, as well as others. I do not trust SCOTUS as far as I can throw the John Hancock Building. They are awful.
I agree.The 3” good” judges legacies are being irreparably damaged by the actions of the other rogue members of this court to their detriment.I would wish that they would comment on the decline and failure of this damaged branch of our government.
Some of you may have seen Joyce Vance’s advice to check/screenshot your voter reg status tomorrow,Aug 7.⬇️
For each of us, the mantra needs to be: register, make sure you remain registered, vote, and make sure your vote gets counted. And help the people around you do the same thing. This is a great week to work on that because, after the 90th day before the election, registered voters cannot be removed from the active voter rolls. Take a screenshot to prove your status! This nifty countdown to the election clock tells us that Wednesday will be the 89th day, so make a note on your calendar to check your status, remind the people around you to do the same, and encourage those who aren’t already registered to go ahead and get it done! You can use websites like vote.gov or IWillVote.com to register and check your status. If you’re removed from the active voter rolls you can still ask for and vote a provisional ballot. But it’s a hassle to take the steps necessary to have it counted (that’s sort of the point), so make it a point to get as many people as possible to ensure they’re voters in good standing. Vote.org also provides a handy reference to help people know what their last day to register is in their state. 📣
I love the way this has a statement at the bottom that says they don't "collect any data on you"... as opposed to Elon and associates. Maybe that should temporarily be a bit more prominent! I'm very much hoping the Elon ad warnings will be taken up by some of the blue ad groups.
I have not had the time to read all of the comments during these past few weeks, so my reason for posting this has probably been noted already. FIRING LINE has a good interview with the Secretary of State of Michigan, Attorney Ginsberg, an expert in litigating secure elections, and the head of one of the non-profit organizations supporting voting rights and election administration at the local levels. Their command of the proven security of American elections in 2020 and 2022 was impressive and reassuring. While it is very true that the push by MAGA 2020 election deniers has been real and voter suppression efforts nationally are at a high point, as Mr. Hubbell has continually opined, this is not something to panic about. Voting rights are under attack, but good attorneys and local election officials have the 2024 election under control. There will be attempts to suppress voting, intimidate voters and minimize supporters of the Harris campaign, but they will not succeed. Just redouble your personal efforts to get out the vote and support the Harris campaign, and do not become either complacent nor discouraged.
One of my favorite political cartoons is Jack Nicholsen in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" playing the part of a (very colorful) resident of a mental institution. He is sitting beside Trump, also housed there, and saying "So you still think you won the election?"
It might be easier to contain our worry about the prospect that right-wing election officials will attempt to corrupt the election if we had any reason to think that settled law is indeed settled. The Supreme Court majority has left one with the credible sense that any ball can be made a strike as the need arises.
Absolutely gorgeous photos of the Western Veil Nebula; thank you for sharing these and your process with us -- I kind of like the photo with stars the best, but can see how each provides a different and useful 'reveal.' I don't want to talk about politics today and am taking a little break. Thanks to you and Jill for continuing the daily hard work of saving democracy ...
Regarding Vice Presidents Harris , she has been very clear about her policies on immigration (signing the bill-partisan bill), her continued support of our allies, her opposition to Project 2025 and her focus on the investment into the middle class versus billionaires. She yes may have modified her position but being Vice President to President Biden was a Masters or Doctoral class on good governance. Why sit down with the New York Times that has continually reported every stutter Joe Biden made versus the “Orange Meanie” (borrowing from the Beatles). People evolve with are ever changing world and Harris has evolved versus the current GOP. If she gives an interview give it to Heather Clark Richardson and have real substance to demonstrate to the American people and the world.
That attack is like the fallacy where one claims mainstream media is not reporting on (insert wild eyed conspiracy theory) and then asking, "what are they hiding??"
I'm excited. I was rooting for Shapiro, but his baggage made me nervous. Meanwhile, Tim Walz has done nothing but impress me. This is another great choice by Harris.
Is anyone surprised that the two dissenting votes on the application to the Supreme Court to sue NY attorney Alvin Bragg were Thomas and Alito. It is shameful that the nonsense that Bragg is interfering with the right of Missouri citizens to vote for and elect a felon. I am ashamed these political hoodlums sit as justices on the highest court in America.
"Marc Elias said that when electors in Cochise County refused to certify local election results, Elias’ law firm obtained an order compelling them to do so."
I was confused about the role of a private law firm and government entities responsible for enforcing states' election laws, but Marc Elias explains it on his Democracy Docket:
"...some states have specific statutes that outline a process to follow if a local official won’t certify an election. 'So in Michigan, for example, the state law allows state election officials to take over certification at the local level if a local official refuses to certify,' she explained.
In other states, the courts can step in, at the request of a voter, candidate, or another state official. The process, known as a writ of mandamus, involves a court to step in to legally compel a government official — in this case, an election official — to fulfill their duties, like certifying an election.
But what happens when an election official refuses to comply with a court order to certify an election? They could be removed from their position."
https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/what-happens-when-election-officials-refuse-to-certify-results/
It's reasonable to expect a much higher volume of rogue/corrupt election officials planted to deny voting results not in favor of MAGA Republicans. It's prudent to prepare ahead of November 5 for these disruptions. We can spread the word to support Democracy Docket with donations and subscriptions.
I had a similar thought about preparation, Ellie. It would seem to be a virtual certainty that there will be attempts to sow chaos in the certification process, so perhaps having the appropriate suits drafted and ready to file would be worthwhile.
Thanks for this useful info; it's a scary scenario and everything we can do to shore up the supports is helpful. I hope people will both support Marc Elias, who is a treasure, and distribute your discussion far and wide so that more people understand what will be going on this fall...
Check out the Democracy Docket website where you can choose to subscribe and/or support (donate). Links various vote-related cases are in the right frame. https://www.democracydocket.com/
Thanks, Ellie. I just keep wondering about the judges themselves, the "line in the sand" who are supposed to be the backstops to any efforts to block certification.
While we’ve heard of two far right wing federal judges, there are thousands and thousands of local, state, and federal judges who live and breathe the rule of law as a matter of normalcy that does not make the news.
Including federal judges appointed by the former president.
It worries me that democracy might hang on the rulings of judges, especially the supremes.
If our election win is stolen from us, there will be millions of dems in the streets. We are fed up and will not tolerate it. And the Supreme Court better believe this.
We are to fortunate to have Marc Elias and Democracy Docket on the side of democracy. What a hero!
Having been wined and dined and showered with lavish gifts by his billionaire 'friends' over the years Clarence Thomas always insisted that those friends didn't have cases pending before the Supreme Court. One wonders though, why of all the luxury trips he tried keep that one in 2010 under wraps.
In January 2010 SCOTUS with its Citizens United decision drove the last nail into the coffin called campaign financing regulation, ensuring a free for all for billionaires and corporations to influence elections. Thomas not only cast a decisive vote in the 5:4 decision. He penned a concurring opinion deploring certain disclosure provisions arguing that anonymous free speech was protected by the First Amendment and that making contributor lists public makes the contributors vulnerable to retaliation.
Harlan Crow, Thomas' host on that luxury South Pacific trip later that year must have been elated. So was the trip a little Thank You for a job well done? Honi soit qui mal y pense.
Thanks for the comment on Thomas's CU concurrence. The Founders would have hysterics over the idea that anonymity in public discourse was protected. In fact, anonymous public discourse is a contradiction in terms and another risible abuse of the language by an embarrassment of a Supreme Court Justice.
Agreed
Translated from Old Norman French: Shame on anyone who thinks evil of it.
Thank you for adding the deep space picture (s) and information. It's a welcome respite as well as fun to be participating in your hobby without having to do anything (lol). They are amazing pictures and bring to mind many existential thoughts and questions.
I’ll second that! I look forward to your daily pictures & commentary.
I agree. Thank you for sharing all your photos and knowledge, Robert! Personally, I liked the shot with the stars in it the best!
Though the stars give the nebula context, I like the shot without stars because the colors and shape of the nebula are more apparent. I also appreciate that RH ends these letters with a reminder that there is a bigger picture out there that we need to pay attention to - in so many ways!! Thanks!
My hubs went back and forth on stars vs no stars. We decided they are both beautiful!
And yet eventually we'll get the composite with the enhanced nebula plus stars! We hope.
Robert, I hope you will show us the two shots from today and the third, with the stars re-inserted! It will be fun to see the difference! And, on a personal level, may I say how completely impressed I am that you have the ability to navigate what has to be very complicated camera software on top of writing your wonderful newsletter! Wow!!
Once upon a time, I had full faith and confidence in the Supreme Court to fulfill its role as the independent, co-equal, third branch of our government. Despite some questionable rulings, I felt that in the balance, we were in good hands. The stacking of the court by McConnell for the benefit of perhaps the most corrupt president in our history changed that.
I was lulled into obeisance with Chief Justice Roberts's seemingly steady hand and desire to keep the Court above the fray. With the Court's inexplicable lack of ethics and its abrogation of the very oaths the Justices each took to protect and defend the Constitution and "administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich," I have lost my faith in the institution. Chief Justice Roberts is a Supreme disappointment, and his tarnished legacy has been cast.
I believe our only recourse is to have an overwhelming election of reform-minded Democrats, and a concerted effort to right the Court-ship by rebalancing its ideology and imposing an enforceable code of ethics to replace the toothless fig-leaf the Court adopted last year.
Welp, I could not have said that better myself! Dang it Bob- you nailed that.
I do not need any more enthusiasm for the Harris campaign. I will accept her choice of running mate and support the ticket 100%. I know for Black people being told you cannot do something is a call to show them wrong. We see this in VP Harris herself, and I imagine all of the Black voters that will go out and stand in long lines, and appeal being thrown off the voter rolls by the creepy wealthy people of Ziklag spending money to try to remove registered voters whom they believe are Democrats from the rolls in swing states. https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-ziklag-secret-christian-charity-2024-election
Those identified swing states are getting a lot of attention, but not from Trump. He is campaigning with one appearance a week. Otherwise I believe he is playing golf, though soon enough he will be back in court, just in time for the majority of the voters to start paying attention. Putting the Supreme Court in the public eye at that time too, makes it harder for them to overthrow the election. I am not worried about States certifying the election, because I trust Marc Elias of Democracy Docket and his team to fight these challenges, as well as others. I do not trust SCOTUS as far as I can throw the John Hancock Building. They are awful.
SCOTUS *excluding Judges Kagan, Sotomayor, and Jackson, of course. I hope we can expand the court and thus dilute the impact of the others.
Yes perhaps those 3, but as a body I do not trust it since it is dominated by crooks.
I agree.The 3” good” judges legacies are being irreparably damaged by the actions of the other rogue members of this court to their detriment.I would wish that they would comment on the decline and failure of this damaged branch of our government.
Me too 👍
Speaking as a Chicagoan — please throw the Trump International building instead.
Please don’t throw the John Hancock Building, it’s one of my favorites but there are others I would love to recommend. Agree with your assessment!
There are still some with Felonious T's name on them that could be candidates!
Some of you may have seen Joyce Vance’s advice to check/screenshot your voter reg status tomorrow,Aug 7.⬇️
For each of us, the mantra needs to be: register, make sure you remain registered, vote, and make sure your vote gets counted. And help the people around you do the same thing. This is a great week to work on that because, after the 90th day before the election, registered voters cannot be removed from the active voter rolls. Take a screenshot to prove your status! This nifty countdown to the election clock tells us that Wednesday will be the 89th day, so make a note on your calendar to check your status, remind the people around you to do the same, and encourage those who aren’t already registered to go ahead and get it done! You can use websites like vote.gov or IWillVote.com to register and check your status. If you’re removed from the active voter rolls you can still ask for and vote a provisional ballot. But it’s a hassle to take the steps necessary to have it counted (that’s sort of the point), so make it a point to get as many people as possible to ensure they’re voters in good standing. Vote.org also provides a handy reference to help people know what their last day to register is in their state. 📣
https://open.substack.com/pub/joycevance/p/the-week-ahead-67e?r=fqsxl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
We voted in the Florida primary yesterday.
Use this. https://voterizer.org/
Thanks for additional link, Daniel.Voting doesn’t start here until the 10th.
Walz is VP pick ! 🐕🦺🍦”Summer is for pup cups”
https://x.com/GovTimWalz/status/1819160905789460587
Black Labs for Harris/Walz !!🐾😂
Poodles 🐩 for Harris/Walz
Hi Kathy! Double joy to hear the VP news from you! I was hoping she’d pick him, and Harris-Walz will be a great team!
Hey Ellie ! So excited and Harris/Walz rally today was on fire! See you on the 17th.💙
I love the way this has a statement at the bottom that says they don't "collect any data on you"... as opposed to Elon and associates. Maybe that should temporarily be a bit more prominent! I'm very much hoping the Elon ad warnings will be taken up by some of the blue ad groups.
I have not had the time to read all of the comments during these past few weeks, so my reason for posting this has probably been noted already. FIRING LINE has a good interview with the Secretary of State of Michigan, Attorney Ginsberg, an expert in litigating secure elections, and the head of one of the non-profit organizations supporting voting rights and election administration at the local levels. Their command of the proven security of American elections in 2020 and 2022 was impressive and reassuring. While it is very true that the push by MAGA 2020 election deniers has been real and voter suppression efforts nationally are at a high point, as Mr. Hubbell has continually opined, this is not something to panic about. Voting rights are under attack, but good attorneys and local election officials have the 2024 election under control. There will be attempts to suppress voting, intimidate voters and minimize supporters of the Harris campaign, but they will not succeed. Just redouble your personal efforts to get out the vote and support the Harris campaign, and do not become either complacent nor discouraged.
One of my favorite political cartoons is Jack Nicholsen in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" playing the part of a (very colorful) resident of a mental institution. He is sitting beside Trump, also housed there, and saying "So you still think you won the election?"
😂
J.P., the term "complacent" hasn't described me since Bush v. Gore. What's the opposite of complacent? That's me.
It might be easier to contain our worry about the prospect that right-wing election officials will attempt to corrupt the election if we had any reason to think that settled law is indeed settled. The Supreme Court majority has left one with the credible sense that any ball can be made a strike as the need arises.
Absolutely gorgeous photos of the Western Veil Nebula; thank you for sharing these and your process with us -- I kind of like the photo with stars the best, but can see how each provides a different and useful 'reveal.' I don't want to talk about politics today and am taking a little break. Thanks to you and Jill for continuing the daily hard work of saving democracy ...
Supreme Hypocrisy Pays: Neal Gorsuch gets $500,000 royalty from Rupert Murdoch’s Harper Collins and then gives interview on FOX, aanother Murdoch outlet.
The MAGA Supreme Court Justice irony is so rich! (Pun intended). Follow the money for yourself with this interactive map.
https://thedemlabs.org/2024/08/05/supreme-hypocrisy-pays-neal-gorsuch-gets-fortune-from-rupert-murdochs-harper-collins/
Regarding Vice Presidents Harris , she has been very clear about her policies on immigration (signing the bill-partisan bill), her continued support of our allies, her opposition to Project 2025 and her focus on the investment into the middle class versus billionaires. She yes may have modified her position but being Vice President to President Biden was a Masters or Doctoral class on good governance. Why sit down with the New York Times that has continually reported every stutter Joe Biden made versus the “Orange Meanie” (borrowing from the Beatles). People evolve with are ever changing world and Harris has evolved versus the current GOP. If she gives an interview give it to Heather Clark Richardson and have real substance to demonstrate to the American people and the world.
It is very pleasing indeed, with or without stars. Both tho’ are simply incredible.
Harris is "dodging the media" JD?
That attack is like the fallacy where one claims mainstream media is not reporting on (insert wild eyed conspiracy theory) and then asking, "what are they hiding??"
Tim Walz is a good man. You betcha!
Does he care about the bottom? You betcha!
Does he care about the middle? You betcha!
Does he support Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid? You betcha!
Does he have experience in Congress? You betcha!
Does he support all LGBTQ civil rights? You betcha!
Does he advocate for climate change laws? You betcha!
Does he support environmental justice? You betcha!
Does he have military experience? You betcha!
Does he know how to take orders? You betcha!
Does he pull KP? You betcha!
Does he train our youth? You betcha!
Does he make a good foxhole buddy? You betcha!
Does he have a compatible agenda? You betcha?
Does he have a good family value system? You betcha!
Is he a man of his faith? You betcha!
I'm excited. I was rooting for Shapiro, but his baggage made me nervous. Meanwhile, Tim Walz has done nothing but impress me. This is another great choice by Harris.
Is anyone surprised that the two dissenting votes on the application to the Supreme Court to sue NY attorney Alvin Bragg were Thomas and Alito. It is shameful that the nonsense that Bragg is interfering with the right of Missouri citizens to vote for and elect a felon. I am ashamed these political hoodlums sit as justices on the highest court in America.
Love your pics of the stars and nebulas!