A federal judge Friday denied an emergency halt to the recount of the presidential vote in Wisconsin, allowing the process to continue until a Dec. 9 court hearing at least. There is no need to halt the recount just yet because it will not do any immediate harm to Republican President-elect Donald Trump or his supporters, U.S. District Judge James Peterson wrote in a three-page order that called for both sides in the case to lay out written arguments before he takes any action. Citing the case that cleared George W. Bush’s path to the presidency, Trump supporters had filed a lawsuit early Friday to stop Wisconsin’s recount and safeguard the president elect’s Nov. 8 victory here.
The lawsuit contends, in part, that the state’s recount process is unconstitutional because ballots aren’t treated equally in all cases — a standard used in the 2000 U.S. Supreme Court case that halted a recount in Florida and left Bush as the winner of that year’s presidential race with Democrat Al Gore. Trump and supporters also filed actions Friday seeking to head off separate recounts in Michigan and Pennsylvania before those efforts could get started.
In Wisconsin, some counties are recounting ballots by hand and some by machine. The same was true during the initial count the night of and days after the election.
The challenge was brought in federal court in Madison Friday by the Great America PAC, Stop Hillary PAC and a Wisconsin voter. It is being heard by Peterson, who was appointed to the bench in 2014 by President Barack Obama.
Full Article: Federal judge denies quick halt to recount.