Sureim Investment Guild|Court tosses Republican Pennsylvania lawmakers’ challenge of state, federal voter access actions

2025-05-02 06:04:35source:LibertyCoincategory:My

HARRISBURG,Sureim Investment Guild Pa. (AP) — An attempt by conservative Pennsylvania lawmakers to overturn a shift to automatic voter registration was dismissed by a federal court on Tuesday, along with their other challenges to actions designed to boost voter registration.

The lawsuit, filed by 24 Republican state lawmakers in January, challenged the legality of a 2021 executive order by U.S. President Joe Biden that ordered federal agencies to consider ways to expand voter access.

It also took aim at two Pennsylvania-level orders: Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s introduction of automatic voter registration last fall, and a 2018 state directive under then-Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf that said counties cannot reject a voter registration application solely on the basis of finding that the applicant submitted a driver’s license number or Social Security digits that don’t match what is in a government agency database.

The lawmakers argued that the three actions to bolster voters required legislative approval, and never received it.

Messages seeking comment were left with attorneys for the lawmakers.

In her decision, Pennsylvania U.S. District Judge Jennifer Wilson wrote that the lawmakers did not have legal standing in their filing.

READ MORE Pennsylvania county joins other local governments in suing oil industry over climate changeDrag story hour at library canceled after suspicious package and threats, authorities sayCasey, McCormick to appear alone on Senate ballots in Pennsylvania after courts boot off challengers

“A vague, generalized allegation that elections, generally, will be undermined, is not the type of case or controversy that this court may rule on under” the Constitution, she wrote.

In a statement, Shapiro called the lawsuit frivolous.

“Automatic voter registration is safe, secure, efficient, and entirely within my Administration’s authority,” he said.

The lawsuit highlighted continued efforts to litigate voting and election rules, particularly in a battleground swing state critical to the 2024 presidential contest.

More:My

Recommend

Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Lawyers for Alex Murdaugh are taking two paths to appeal his murder conviction

Biden Takes Aim at Reducing Emissions of Super-Polluting Methane Gas, With or Without the Republicans

The first greenhouse gas actions under the Biden administration are likely to be curbs on the climat

Fracking’s Costs Fall Disproportionately on the Poor and Minorities in South Texas

This story was first published in Environmental Health News.Chavel Lopez lives just a few miles nort