Thanks to both Duvafiles and Justice For All? I was informed of the great news that the Maryland Court of Appeals has thrown out early voting in Maryland. So while the petition drive that I worked on didn’t do the trick, a shrewd legal eye that read the Maryland Constitution and said, “hey, you can’t do this, says so right here” managed to get the proper result in the proper venue – unlike the Wal-Mart bill being overturned. Here’s the coverage in the Sun as well.
Also tossed off the ballot was Democrat Attorney General candidate Tom Perez; it seems that being admitted to the Maryland Bar in 2001 leaves him five years short of qualifying. Lawyers for Perez unsuccessfully argued that 12 years as a federal lawyer should count as well but the Court of Appeals disagreed.
I did a little bit of looking at the backgrounds of those on the Court of Appeals. It’s going to be REALLY hard to argue partisanship when 5 of the 7 judges were appointed by then-Governor Glendenning between 1996 and 2001. One of the other two (Judge Irma Raker) was appointed by William Donald Schaefer during his tenure and the newest one (Judge Clayton Greene, Jr.) was appointed by Governor Ehrlich in 2004. In other words, 6 of 7 were appointed by Democrats.
For the Democrats’ part, they’ve not updated their website with news that had to have hit them like a sledgehammer between the eyes. But they haven’t stopped with intoning that any election where a Republican wins had to be tainted, like this recruiting piece:
The Maryland Democratic Party needs you help! We are currently recruiting lawyers and law students to help us protect to vote.
Now, more than ever, with new voting machines and new election regulations, it is essential that we work to uphold our strongly held Democratic belief that elections in our State must be conducted in strict accord with federal and state laws. It is vital that we, the Democratic lawyers and law students of our State, join together to insure that no political party’s operatives or outsiders interfere in Maryland’s upcoming elections.
To assist us in our Voter Protection efforts, fill out the form below. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Liz Aloi, at 301-306-2480 or laloi@mddems.org.
(Editor’s note: You know sometimes I reread posts and they’re funnier the second time. I did cut and paste that passage verbatim from the mddems site last night – it just occurred to me this afternoon that spelling and grammar aren’t their forte.)
I think that one sentence should read, “no political party’s operatives or outsiders (except ones that we want to like felons and illegals) interfere in Maryland’s upcoming elections.” And don’t think Martin O’Malley wouldn’t love to get his opportunity to reshape the Court of Appeals into a rubber stamp for the General Assembly. I’m sure he can find more people like State Senator Lisa Gladden, who remarked about the initial court decision, “A constitution is a living, breathing document. If you always literally interpret the constitution you get strange results, like ‘all men are created equal,’ so what do you do with the women?” Hey Lisa, that’s the Declaration of Independence you’re thinking of. But it’s all the same oppression right?
Besides, with the “shall issue” absentee ballots still allowed, we have de facto early voting that you can do in the comfort of your living room. Why make things more complicated? So a big thank you goes to the Maryland Court of Appeals for this, and a big sigh of relief from 23 of the 24 county boards of elections. (Since Baltimore City sent out thousands of postcards saying that people could vote before Election Day, that’s just a little egg on their faces.)
Looks like it’s time for an update to the Patriot Post.
