Washington
Supreme Court seems ready to revive GOP challenge to Illinois mail-in ballot law
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seemed ready Wednesday to revive a Republican challenge to an Illinois law that allows the counting of late-arriving mail ballots, which have been a target of President Donald Trump.
The justices are considering the narrower issue of whether a GOP congressman has the legal right, or standing, to challenge the law that allows ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if they are received up to two weeks later.
Lower courts threw out the lawsuit from Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., finding those votes likely had little effect on the race in his safe GOP district.
Illinois asked the justices to uphold that ruling, with the state’s solicitor general arguing the case could open the floodgates for more lawsuits and “cause chaos” for election officials.
But the court seemed skeptical about the idea that a candidate’s vote totals should affect their ability to come to court.
Chief Justice John Roberts, meanwhile, referred to judges having to make those determinations as a “potential disaster,” and Justice Elena Kagan, who was nominated by then-President Barack Obama, also raised concerns about that kind of test.
The court is expected to rule by June.
Illinois is among 18 states and the District of Columbia that accept mailed ballots received after Election Day as long they are postmarked on or before that date, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The Trump administration also argued that Bost should be able to sue. The Republican president has claimed that late-arriving ballots and drawn-out electoral counts undermine confidence in elections. In March he signed a sweeping executive order on elections that aims to require votes to be “cast and received” by Election Day, though it’s been challenged in court.
The Supreme Court could soon be weighing legal questions about mail-in ballots more directly as Mississippi appeals a 2024 appeals court ruling that found counting ballots that arrive shortly after Election Day violates federal law.
Georgia
Judge sets Nov. 14 deadline for new prosecutor in election case against Trump
ATLANTA (AP) — A judge says that the agency tasked with finding a prosecutor to take over the Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and others can have a little more time, but not as much time as it wanted.
What will happen to the case has been uncertain since Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified from continuing the prosecution over an “appearance of impropriety” caused by a romantic relationship she had with a prosecutor she hired.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee earlier this month said that if the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council didn’t appoint a new prosecutor or request a “particularized extension” within 14 days, he would dismiss the case. But Pete Skandalakis, the council’s executive director said Monday in a court filing that his office had yet to receive the physical case file and didn’t expect to receive it for about four weeks. He asked McAfee to reconsider his order or to give him at least 90 days after he receives the case file to appoint a new prosecutor.
Wednesday, McAfee gave Skandalakis less than half the time he had requested, setting a new deadline of Nov. 14. The judge said that if Skandalakis requests it, he would sign an order to force Willis’ office to hand over the investigative file more quickly.
Without the case file, Skandalakis has said that he “cannot intelligently answer questions of anyone requested to take the appointment or to do his own due diligence in finding a prosecutor who is not encumbered by a significant appearance of impropriety.” He wrote that because of the complexity of the election case and the extensive resources required to handle it, “it will require time” to find someone to take it over.
Even if a new prosecutor is named, it is unlikely that any prosecution against Trump could move forward while he is the sitting president. But there are 14 other people still facing charges in the case, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.
If a new prosecutor is named, that person could continue on the track that Willis had charted, decide to pursue only some charges or dismiss the case altogether.
Willis announced the indictment against Trump and 18 others in August 2023. She used the state’s anti-racketeering law to allege a wide-ranging conspiracy to try to illegally overturn Trump’s narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
Defense attorneys sought Willis’ removal after the revelation in January 2024 that she had engaged in a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case. The defense attorneys said the relationship created a conflict of interest, alleging that Willis personally profited from the case when Wade used his earnings to pay for vacations the pair took.
McAfee rebuked Willis, saying in an order in March 2024 that her actions showed a “tremendous lapse in judgment.” But he said he did not find a conflict of interest that would disqualify Willis. He ultimately ruled that Willis could remain on the case if Wade resigned, which the special prosecutor did hours later.
Defense attorneys appealed that ruling, and the Georgia Court of Appeals removed Willis from the case in December, citing an “appearance of impropriety.” The high court last month declined to hear Willis’ appeal, putting the case in the lap of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council.
Florida
Eeyore the dog helps deputy find missing woman
DESTIN, Fla. (AP) — A dog named Eeyore turned into a rescuer, leading a Florida sheriff’s deputy to where a missing 86-year-old woman had fallen while walking him, bodycam footage shows.
The woman’s husband reported her missing on the night of Sept. 25 after she didn’t return from her walk in their Destin neighborhood.
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy Devon Miller, according to the footage released Monday. “It’s almost an hour now. It’s over an hour now.”
Miller drove around the neighborhood until she spotted Eeyore in the middle of the road. The dog trotted up to the deputy. The dog then led her to the nearby spot where the woman had fallen.
The woman, who was alert and later taken to a medical facility, was astonished that Eeyore had guided the deputy to her, noting that it wasn’t even her dog.
Supreme Court seems ready to revive GOP challenge to Illinois mail-in ballot law
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seemed ready Wednesday to revive a Republican challenge to an Illinois law that allows the counting of late-arriving mail ballots, which have been a target of President Donald Trump.
The justices are considering the narrower issue of whether a GOP congressman has the legal right, or standing, to challenge the law that allows ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if they are received up to two weeks later.
Lower courts threw out the lawsuit from Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., finding those votes likely had little effect on the race in his safe GOP district.
Illinois asked the justices to uphold that ruling, with the state’s solicitor general arguing the case could open the floodgates for more lawsuits and “cause chaos” for election officials.
But the court seemed skeptical about the idea that a candidate’s vote totals should affect their ability to come to court.
Chief Justice John Roberts, meanwhile, referred to judges having to make those determinations as a “potential disaster,” and Justice Elena Kagan, who was nominated by then-President Barack Obama, also raised concerns about that kind of test.
The court is expected to rule by June.
Illinois is among 18 states and the District of Columbia that accept mailed ballots received after Election Day as long they are postmarked on or before that date, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The Trump administration also argued that Bost should be able to sue. The Republican president has claimed that late-arriving ballots and drawn-out electoral counts undermine confidence in elections. In March he signed a sweeping executive order on elections that aims to require votes to be “cast and received” by Election Day, though it’s been challenged in court.
The Supreme Court could soon be weighing legal questions about mail-in ballots more directly as Mississippi appeals a 2024 appeals court ruling that found counting ballots that arrive shortly after Election Day violates federal law.
Georgia
Judge sets Nov. 14 deadline for new prosecutor in election case against Trump
ATLANTA (AP) — A judge says that the agency tasked with finding a prosecutor to take over the Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and others can have a little more time, but not as much time as it wanted.
What will happen to the case has been uncertain since Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified from continuing the prosecution over an “appearance of impropriety” caused by a romantic relationship she had with a prosecutor she hired.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee earlier this month said that if the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council didn’t appoint a new prosecutor or request a “particularized extension” within 14 days, he would dismiss the case. But Pete Skandalakis, the council’s executive director said Monday in a court filing that his office had yet to receive the physical case file and didn’t expect to receive it for about four weeks. He asked McAfee to reconsider his order or to give him at least 90 days after he receives the case file to appoint a new prosecutor.
Wednesday, McAfee gave Skandalakis less than half the time he had requested, setting a new deadline of Nov. 14. The judge said that if Skandalakis requests it, he would sign an order to force Willis’ office to hand over the investigative file more quickly.
Without the case file, Skandalakis has said that he “cannot intelligently answer questions of anyone requested to take the appointment or to do his own due diligence in finding a prosecutor who is not encumbered by a significant appearance of impropriety.” He wrote that because of the complexity of the election case and the extensive resources required to handle it, “it will require time” to find someone to take it over.
Even if a new prosecutor is named, it is unlikely that any prosecution against Trump could move forward while he is the sitting president. But there are 14 other people still facing charges in the case, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.
If a new prosecutor is named, that person could continue on the track that Willis had charted, decide to pursue only some charges or dismiss the case altogether.
Willis announced the indictment against Trump and 18 others in August 2023. She used the state’s anti-racketeering law to allege a wide-ranging conspiracy to try to illegally overturn Trump’s narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
Defense attorneys sought Willis’ removal after the revelation in January 2024 that she had engaged in a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case. The defense attorneys said the relationship created a conflict of interest, alleging that Willis personally profited from the case when Wade used his earnings to pay for vacations the pair took.
McAfee rebuked Willis, saying in an order in March 2024 that her actions showed a “tremendous lapse in judgment.” But he said he did not find a conflict of interest that would disqualify Willis. He ultimately ruled that Willis could remain on the case if Wade resigned, which the special prosecutor did hours later.
Defense attorneys appealed that ruling, and the Georgia Court of Appeals removed Willis from the case in December, citing an “appearance of impropriety.” The high court last month declined to hear Willis’ appeal, putting the case in the lap of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council.
Florida
Eeyore the dog helps deputy find missing woman
DESTIN, Fla. (AP) — A dog named Eeyore turned into a rescuer, leading a Florida sheriff’s deputy to where a missing 86-year-old woman had fallen while walking him, bodycam footage shows.
The woman’s husband reported her missing on the night of Sept. 25 after she didn’t return from her walk in their Destin neighborhood.
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy Devon Miller, according to the footage released Monday. “It’s almost an hour now. It’s over an hour now.”
Miller drove around the neighborhood until she spotted Eeyore in the middle of the road. The dog trotted up to the deputy. The dog then led her to the nearby spot where the woman had fallen.
The woman, who was alert and later taken to a medical facility, was astonished that Eeyore had guided the deputy to her, noting that it wasn’t even her dog.
