reuters.com
www.reuters.com

U.S. judges have denied requests from the Republican-led states of Missouri and Texas to block the federal government from sending lawyers to their states on Election Day to monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws.

Both states are among the 27 that the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) said it would send staff out to monitor at voting locations, as it has done regularly during national elections.

Federal Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ordered the DOJ early on Tuesday to confirm that “no observers” would be present in polling locations in Texas but denied issuing the restraining order the state had requested.

“The Court cannot issue a temporary restraining order without further clarification on the distinction between ‘monitoring’ and ‘observing’ on the eve of a consequential election,” Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, said in the ruling.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had earlier said that sending monitors “infringes on States’ constitutional authority to run free and fair elections.”

    • droans@lemmy.world
      5·
      5 hours ago

      Unlike every other judicial district in America, Northern Texas does not assign cases to any district judge at random. Instead, they limit assignments to judges who are within the division the case was filed in.

      Since he’s the only judge in the Amarillo Division, you can guarantee a hyperpartison super-conservative judge if you file there.

        • droans@lemmy.world
          2·
          4 hours ago

          Well, in addition to his attempt to ban milfepristone, he also ruled that the Biden administration could not enact protections for transgender employees.

          Why? Well, sure, Title VII protects transgender individuals from discrimination, but that doesn’t mean it protects any of their conduct, actions, or anything else. So you can’t fire someone for being trans, but the moment they “act” trans, present as the opposite gender, ask for you to use their pronouns, etc., it’s completely different and they totally can be fired.

          He’s constantly choosing to selectively ignore parts of the legal code so it fits his view better. He believes he has the power to redefine words - once demanding that the lawyers on both sides use the term “unborn baby” instead of “fetus” because he says fetus is a made-up word and a liberal plot.

          He also tried to overturn the ACA… In 2022.