supreme court decision [fwd from A.G. Frank]

Subject: supreme court decision  (fwd)


longish but well worth while
this version better formatted/easier to read 

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                 ANDRE  GUNDER  FRANK

         1601 SW  83rd Avenue, Miami, FL.  33155 USA
      Tel: 1-305-266  0311   Fax:  1-305  266 0799
                E-Mail :  franka@fiu.edu
   Web/Home Page:  http://csf.colorado.edu/archive/agfrank
    
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  Subject:   Explanation of Supreme Court decision
 
 
 
Q:  I'm not a lawyer and I don't understand the recent Supreme Court
>decision in Bush v. Gore.  Can you explain it to me?
>> 
>>A:  Sure.  I'm a lawyer.  I read it.  It says Bush wins, even if Gore got
>the most votes. 
>> 
>>Q:  But wait a second.  The US Supreme Court has to give a reason, right?
>> 
>>A:  Right. 
>> 
>>Q:  So Bush wins because hand-counts are illegal?
>> 
>>A:  Oh no.  Six of the justices (two-thirds majority) believed the
>>hand-counts were legal and should be done.
>> 
>>Q:  Oh.  So the justices did not believe that the hand-counts would find
>any legal ballots? 
>> 
>>A.  Nope.  The five conservative justices clearly held (and all nine
>justices agreed) "that punch card balloting machines can produce an 
unfortunate number of ballots which are not punched in a clean,
complete way by the voter."
>So there are legal votes that should be counted but can't be.
>> 
>>Q:  Oh. Does this have something to do with states' rights?  Don't
>>conservatives love that?
>> 
>>A:  Generally yes.  These five justices have held that the federal
>government has no business telling a sovereign state university it can't 
steal trade secrets just because such stealing is prohibited by
law.  Nor does the federal government have any business telling a state
that it should bar guns  in schools.  Nor can the federal government
use the equal protection clause  to force states to take measures to stop
violence against women.
>> 
>>Q:  Is there an exception in this case?
>> 
>>A:  Yes, the Gore except states have no rights to have their own
>state elections when it can result in Gore being elected President.  This
>decision is limited to only this situation.
>> 
>>Q:  C'mon.  The Supremes didn't really say that.  You're exaggerating.
>> 
>>A:  Nope.  They held "Our consideration is limited to the present
>>circumstances, or the problem of equal protection in election processes
>>generally presents many complexities."
>> 
>>Q:  What complexities?
>> 
>>A:  They don't say.
>> 
>>Q:   I'll bet I know the reason.  I heard Jim Baker say this.  The votes
>>can't be counted because the Florida Supreme Court "changed the rules of
>the election after it was held."  Right?
>> 
>>A.  Dead wrong. The US Supreme Court made clear that the Florida Supreme
>>Court did not change the rules of the election.  But the US Supreme Court
>>found the failure of the Florida Court to change the rules was wrong.
>> 
>>Q:  Huh? 
>> 
>>A:  The Legislature declared that the only legal standard for counting
>vote is "clear intent of the voter."  The Florida Court was condemned 
for not adopting a clearer standard.
>> 
>>Q:  I thought the Florida Court was not allowed to change the
>Legislature's  law after the election.
>> 
>>A:  Right. 
>> 
>>Q:  So what's the problem?
>> 
>>A:  They should have.  The US Supreme Court said the Florida Supreme Court
>>should have "adopt[ed] adequate statewide standards for determining what
>is a >>legal vote" 
>> 
>>Q:  I thought only the Legislature could "adopt" new law.
>> 
>>A:  Right. 
>> 
>>Q:  So if the Court had adopted new standards, I thought it would have
>been >>overturned. 
>> 
>>A:  Right.  You're catching on.
>> 
>>Q:  If the Court had adopted new standards, it would have been overturned
>for >>changing the rules.  And if it didn't, it's overturned for not 
changing the  rules.  That means that no matter what the Florida Supreme
Court did, legal votes could never be counted.
>> 
>>A:  Right.  Next question.
>> 
>>Q:  Wait, wait.  I thought the problem was "equal protection," that some
>>counties counted votes differently from others.  Isn't that a problem?
>> 
>>A:  It sure is.  Across the nation, we vote in a hodgepodge of systems.
>>Some, like the optical-scanners in largely Republican-leaning counties
>record >>99.7% of the votes.  Some, like the punchcard systems in largely
>>Democratic-leaning counties record only 97% of the votes.  So
>approximately 3% of Democratic votes are thrown in the trash can.
>> 
>>Q:  Aha!  That's a severe equal-protection problem!!!
>> 
>>A:  No it's not.  The Supreme Court wasn't worried about the 3% of
>Democratic ballots thrown in the trash can in Florida.  That
"complexity" was not a problem. 
>> 
>>Q:  Was it the butterfly ballots that violated Florida law and tricked
>more than 20,000 Democrats to vote for Buchanan or Gore and Buchanan.
>> 
>>A:  Nope.  The Supreme Court has no problem believing that Buchanan got
>his >>highest, best support in a precinct consisting of a Jewish old age 
homes with  Holocaust survivors, who apparently have changed their mind
about Hitler.
>> 
>>Q:  Yikes.  So what was the serious equal protection problem?
>> 
>>A:  The problem was neither the butterfly ballot nor the 3% of Democrats
>>(largely African-American) disenfranchised.  The problem is that somewhat
>>less than .005% of the ballots may have been determined under slightly
>>different standards because judges sworn to uphold the law and doing their
>>best to accomplish the legislative mandate of "clear intent of the voter"
>may have a slightly opinion about the voter's intent.
>> 
>>Q:  Hmmm.  OK, so if those votes are thrown out,  you can still count the
>>votes where everyone agrees the voter's intent is clear?
>> 
>>A:  Nope. 
>> 
>>Q:  Why not? 
>> 
>>A:  No time. 
>> 
>>Q:  No time to count legal votes where everyone, even Republicans, agree
>the >>intent is clear?  Why not?
>> 
>>A:  Because December 12 was yesterday.
>> 
>>Q:  Is December 12 a deadline for counting votes?
>> 
>>A:  No.  January 6 is the deadline.  In 1960, Hawaii's votes weren't
>counted  >>until January 4. 
>> 
>>Q:  So why is December 12 important?
>> 
>>A:  December 12 is a deadline by which Congress can't challenge the
>results. 
>> 
>>Q:  What does the Congressional role have to do with the Supreme Court?
>> 
>>A:  Nothing. 
>> 
>>Q:  But I thought ---
>> 
>>A:  The Florida Supreme Court had earlier held it would like to complete
>its work by December 12 to make things easier for Congress.  
The United States Supreme Court is trying to help the Florida Supreme
Court out by forcing the Florida court to abide by a deadline that everyone 
agrees is not binding.

>>Q:  But I thought the Florida Court was going to just barely have the
>votes  counted by December 12.
>> 
>>A:  They would have made it, but the five conservative justices stopped
>the ecount last Saturday.
>> 
>>Q:  Why? 
>> 
>>A:  Justice Scalia said some of the counts may not be legal.
>> 
>>Q:  So why not separate the votes into piles, indentations for Gore,
>hanging  chads for Bush, votes that everyone agrees went to one candidate
or the other  so that we know exactly how Florida voted before determining
who won? Then,  if some ballots (say, indentations) have to be thrown out,
the American people will know right away who won Florida.
>> 
>>A.  Great idea!  The US Supreme Court rejected it.  They held that such
>>counts would likely to produce election results showing Gore won and
>Gore's winning would cause "public acceptance" and that would "cast  a cloud"
>over Bush's "legitimacy" that would harm "democratic stability."
>> 
>>Q:  In other words, if America knows the truth that Gore won, they won't
>>accept the US Supreme Court overturning Gore's victory?
>> 
>>A:  Yes. 
>> 
>>Q:  Is that a legal reason to stop recounts? Or a political one?
>> 
>>A:  Let's just say in all of American history and all of American law,
>this >>reason has no basis in law.  But that doesn't stop the five 
conservatives from creating new law out of thin air.
>> 
>>Q:  Aren't these conservative justices against judicial activism?
>> 
>>A:  Yes, when liberal judges are perceived to have done it.
>> 
>>Q:  Well, if the December 12 deadline is not binding, why not count the
>>votes? 

>>A:  The US Supreme Court, after admitting the December 12 deadline is not
>>binding, set December 12 as a binding deadline at 10 p.m. on December 12.
>> 
>>Q:  Didn't the US Supreme Court condemn the Florida Supreme Court for
>>arbitrarily setting a deadline?
>> 
>>A:  Yes. 
>> 
>>Q:  But, but -- 
>> 
>>A:  Not to worry.  The US Supreme Court does not have to follow laws it
sets for other courts.
>> 
>>Q:  So who caused Florida to miss the December 12 deadline?
>> 
>>A:  The Bush lawyers who first went to court to stop the recount, the
>>rent-a-mob in Miami that got paid Florida vacations for intimidating
>>officials, and the US Supreme Court for stopping the recount
>> 
>>Q:  So who is punished for this behavior?
>> 
>>A:  Gore, of course.
>> 
>>Q:  Tell me this Florida's laws are unconstitutional?
>> 
>>A:  Yes 
>> 
>>Q:  And the laws of 50 states that allow votes to be cast or counted
>>differently are unconstitutional?
>> 
>>A:  Yes.  And 33 states have the "clear intent of the voter" standard that
>>the US Supreme Court found was illegal in Florida
>> 
>>Q:  Then why aren't the results of 33 states thrown out?
>> 
>>A:  Um.  Because, um...the Supreme Court doesn't say
>> 
>>Q:   But if Florida's certification includes counts expressly declared by
>the >>US Supreme Court to be unconstitutional, we don't know who really 
won the election there, right?
>> 
>>A:  Right.  Though a careful analysis by the Miami Herald shows Gore won
>>Florida by about 20,000 votes (excluding the butterfly ballot errors)
>> 
>>Q:  So, what do we do, have a re-vote?  Throw out the entire state?  Count
>>under a single uniform standard?
>> 
>>A:  No.  We just don't count the votes that favor Gore.
>> 
>>Q:  That's completely bizarre!  That sounds like rank political
>favoritism! Did the justices have any financial interest in the case?
>> 
>>A:  Scalia's two sons are both lawyers working for Bush.  Thomas's wife is
>>collecting applications for people who want to work in the Bush
>>administration. 
>> 
>>Q:  Why didn't they recuse themselves?
>> 
>>A: If either had recused himself, the vote would be 4-4, and the Florida
>>Supreme Court decision allowing recounts would have been affirmed.
>> 
>>Q: I can't believe the justices acted in such a blatantly political way.
>> 
>>A:  Read the opinions for yourself:
  http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/supremecourt/00-949 dec12.fdf  
  (December 9 stay stopping the recount)

  http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/00pdf/00-949.pdf
  (December 12  opinion) 
>> 
>>Q:  So what are the consequences of this?
>> 
>>A:  The guy who got the most votes in the US and in Florida and under our
>>Constitution (Al Gore) will lose to America's second choice who won the
>all >>important 5-4 Supreme Court vote.
>> 
>>Q:  I thought in a democracy, the guy with the most votes wins.
>> 
>>A:  True, in a democracy.  But America is not a democracy.  In America in
>>2000, the guy with the most US Supreme Court votes wins.
>> 
>>Q:  So what will happen to the Supreme Court when Bush becomes President.

>> >>A:  He will appoint more justices in the mode of Thomas and Scalia to
>ensure that the will of the people is less and less respected.  Soon
lawless justices may constitute 6-3 or even 7-2 on the court.
>> 
>>Q:  Is there any way to stop this?
>> 
>>A:  YES.  No federal judge can be confirmed without a vote in the Senate.
>It takes 60 votes to break a filibuster.  If only 41 of the 50 Democratic
>>Senators stand up to Bush and his Supremes and say that they will not
>approve >>a single judge appointed by him until a President can be 
democratically elected in 2004, the judicial reign of terror can end.and
one day we can >>hope to return to the rule of law.
>> 
>>Q:  What do I do now?
>> 
>>A:  Email this to everyone you know, and write or call your senator,
>>reminding him that Gore beat Bush by several hundred thousand votes (three
>>times Kennedy's margin over Nixon) and that you believe that VOTERS rather
>>than JUDGES should determine who wins an election by counting every vote.
>>And to protect our judiciary from overturning the will of the people, you
>>want them to confirm NO NEW JUDGES until 2004 when a president is finally
>>chosen by most of the American people.
>> 
>> 
>>Mark H. Levine 
>>Attorney at Law 
>> 
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