Supreme Court Back with Voting and Grand Jury Case

The Supreme Court, on Monday Oct. 5th, will kick off a New Term, with Eight Justices, hearing a Bid to Reinstate Voting Limits in Arizona that were Struck own as Racially Biased and House Democrats’ Long-Running pursuit of Secret Russia Probe Materials.

Arizona Voting Rules

The Case, which has Not been Scheduled for Argument yet, is the First Election-related Dispute to be taken up by the Court following the Death of Judge Ginsburg, a Stalwart Liberal and Fierce Defender of Voting Rights.

One of the Disputed Policies deals with how Arizona Election Administrators must Handle Ballots that are Cast at the Wrong Polling Place, or Precinct. Under Arizona’s Out-of-Precinct Rule, Administrators are Required to Throw Away any Miscast Ballot in its Entirety.

The Second Voting Restriction at issue is a 2016 Arizona Law that Criminalizes the Collection and Delivery of another Person’s Ballot, a Service sometimes Referred to as "Ballot Harvesting."

In its Decision Striking Down the Rules, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, found that in Recent Elections the Restrictions fell Disproportionately Hard on Arizona’s Minority Populations, who Tend to Vote Democratic.

Mueller Grand Jury Material

The Supreme Court will hear the Long-Running Dispute over House Democrats' Request for Access to Secret Grand Jury Materials stemming from Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia Probe.

The Trump Administration is asking the Justices to Overturn a Lower Court Order to Hand Over Secret Transcripts and Exhibits that the Democratic-led House Judiciary Committee initially sought as Part of its Impeachment Inquiry into Trump.

Some Court Watchers say it’s Possible the Justices Sidestep a Major Ruling on Separation-of-Powers by Finding that House Democrats’ Window to Access the Documents has already Closed.

“There’s at least the possibility that, rather than resolve a complex inter-branch dispute, the justices might seize upon the intervening election of a new House of Representatives as grounds for vacating the decisions below and dismissing the government’s appeal,” Legal Analyst, Steve Vladeck said.

Trump’s Department of Justice, for its part, says it would be a Grave Breach of Grand Jury Secrecy and set a Dangerous Precedent to Require the Department to give the Mueller Materials to Congress.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker