JURIST - Paper Chase: Ohio high court declines to punish lawyers for filing claim against 2004 election

[JURIST] The Ohio Supreme Court [official website] ruled Thursday that the four lawyers who filed a claim citing widespread fraud in the 2004 presidential election should not be punished. Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro [official website] had attempted to file a suit against the lawyers, stating that they filed a "meritless claim" against the state's 2004 voting procedures [OAG press release], which essentially won the national election for George W. Bush. The lawyers represented 37 voters [JURIST report] who allegedly had evidence to prove the widespread fraudulence of the election, although these claims were later withdrawn. The court allows election-related complaints to be decided by a single justice, and Chief Justice Thomas Moyer [official profile] wrote the opinion [PDF text], where he stated that "The General Assembly could have expressly authorized courts to sanction those who pursue frivolous election contests. It has not." AP has more.

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