A federal judge has ordered a halt to a vote recount on the controversial abortion measure, Amendment 1, pending an appeal by state election officials. U.S. District Judge Kevin Sharp, who ordered the recount in April, issued the stay on Tuesday at the request of Tennessee election officials who are appealing his decision the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Sharp cited the potential price tag of a recount to Tennessee taxpayers — approximately $1 million — in issuing his order. Should the Court of Appeals overturn his order, it “raises the possibility that public money may be spent on something which turns out to be unnecessary,” Sharp wrote.
Amendment 1 passed in November 2014 with 53 percent of the vote. The measure was among the most controversial in Tennessee history and stripped the right to an abortion from the state constitution.
Eight voters, including the board chair of Planned Parenthood of Middle & Eastern Tennessee, filed suit within days of its passage, claiming the method state election officials used to count the vote was fundamentally unfair and gave more weight to “yes” votes than “no” votes.
Full Article: Federal judge stays abortion vote recount.