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And so the Florida primary lawsuit continues against the DNC.

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madfloridian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-22-08 09:04 PM
Original message
And so the Florida primary lawsuit continues against the DNC.
There has been a lawsuit going on by these two fellows since August 2007. The DNC has won every step of the way so far, but Steinberg and Dimaio just keep refiling. And refiling. And refiling.

Today the DNC filed a brief in yet another appeal to a lawsuit that has already been dismissed once. This is only a small part of the history of these lawsuits.

Appellate Court Documents (second appeal)
E-CIP Filed (filed 6/16/08)
Certificate of Interested Persons (filed 7/8/08)
DIS-2 (Letter to district court enclosing dismissal order) issued (filed 7/11/08)
Pursuant to the 11th Cir.R.42-1(b), this appeal is dismissed for want of prosecution because the appellant failed to file a Transcript Order Form within the time fixed by the rules.(filed 7/11/08)
CASE CLOSED - no prosecution (filed 7/11/08)

E-Brief Tendered: Appellant by Michael A. Steinberg (filed 7/21/08)
Motion to Reinstate Appeal.: (Atty: Michael A. Steinberg) (filed 7/23/08)
Amended Motion to Reinstate Appeal: (Atty: Michael A. Steinberg) (filed 7/25/08)
Notice of Transcript Filing Record from Ct. Rptr. (filed 7/28/08)
Reinstatement letter issued (entered 8/14/08)
Appellant Brief Filed (filed 8/14/08)
Record Excerpts (filed 8/14/08)
Certificate of Readiness (9/2/08)
Over the Phone Extension to File Appellee's Brief Granted Until 9/22/2008 (filed 9/8/08)
7-Day Confirmation Letter for Appellee's Brief until 09/22/08. (filed 9/12/08)
E-Brief Tendered by Appellee (filed 9/19/08)

DiMaio v Democratic National Committee.


The DNC brief today requests oral hearings.

The file is in pdf format.

ANSWER BRIEF OF APPELLEE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE

STATEMENT REGARDING ORAL ARGUMENT
Pursuant to Rules 28 and 34 of the Federal Rules of Appellate
Procedure and Eleventh Circuit Rules 28-1(c) and 34-3(c), Appellee,
Democratic National Committee ("DNC") states that it desires oral
argument. The issues in this case — which involve the constitutional rights of national parties to set and enforce rules governing the selection of a party's presidential nominee — are ones of national importance. Oral argument is warranted because such argument would significantly aid in the Court's decisional process and provide counsel the opportunity to answer any questions this Court may have regarding the issues in this case.


Take time and read the whole history of this case at this link.

It's a very long page, and a truly amazing thing how this has gone on and on. Everyone says it will have no bearing on our nominee. They tell me not to worry.

But we are just over a month before the election, and the DNC is having to go to court over what has already been settled. OR...has it?

This lawsuit is the one they joked about to the media. It is just a joke to them. Is it really about change, or is it a way to harass the DNC and cost them much needed money and time.

Suing DNC for discriminating against white people in FL, using Rule 11 to get to the Supreme Court

South Carolina and Nevada were allowed to hold their primaries before February 5th because the high percentage of blacks and Hispanics in those states helped compensate for the pasty complexion of Iowa and New Hampshire.

That's the basis for an amended legal filing planned by Tampa Democratic activist, Victor Dimaio and attorney Michael Steinberg who are suing to have Florida's entire Democratic delegation seated at the National Convention in Denver this summer. DiMaio's original lawsuit claimed the DNC's punishment of Florida violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment, but that suit was kicked back by the federal appeals court in Atlanta. Steinberg had a brainstorm when he read discovery papers in a similar lawsuit filed by Senator Bill Nelson that showed the DNC put South Carolina and Nevada's primary dates ahead of 46 other states to give minorities more of a voice in the nominating process. Since the DNC receives federal money to hold their convention, the party is subject to federal civil rights law.

What an interesting turn of the worm. Sometime next week, we may have democrats suing democrats for carrying out a very democratic policy of advancing minorities. Steinberg and DiMaio acknowledge with a grin that their reverse racism accusation will ruffle feathers, but hope the conservative judiciary will be delighted to strike a blow against affirmative action and rule in their favor. Their only objective, they claim, is to see all of Florida's delegates seated based on the January 31st primary election.


There were other lawsuits filed in my state over the primary. They were filed by Steve Geller and by Bill Nelson, Alcee Hastings, and Corrine Brown

They chose not to keep filing and refiling, thank goodness.


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madfloridian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-22-08 10:25 PM
Response to Original message
1. There is more to this than meets the eye.
There is already a a Supreme Court precedent in favor of the DNC.

"The 1981 Supreme Court decision for the case Democratic Party of U.S. v. Wisconsin, 450 U.S. 107 clearly states that the Democratic National Committee can make and enforce the rules on the delegate process.

"The State has a substantial interest in the manner in which its elections are conducted, and the National Party has a substantial interest in the manner in which the delegates to its National Convention are selected. But these interests are not incompatible, and to the limited extent they clash in this case, both interests can be preserved. The National Party rules do not forbid Wisconsin to conduct an open primary. But if Wisconsin does open its primary, it cannot require that Wisconsin delegates to the National Party Convention vote there in accordance with the primary results, if to do so would violate Party rules. Since the Wisconsin Supreme Court has declared that the National Party cannot disqualify delegates who are bound to vote in accordance with the results of the Wisconsin open primary, its judgment is reversed.

It is so ordered."

I hear there is another SC precedent as well, but I have not been able to find it.
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wysimdnwyg Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Sep-23-08 08:26 AM
Response to Original message
2. At this point, I don't get it
What do they hope to accomplish with this latest refiling of the lawsuit? The convention is over. The delegates have all been heard from. What more is there for them to gain? (Outside of making the DNC look bad and waste a lot of money, of course.)
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madfloridian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Sep-23-08 08:39 AM
Response to Reply #2
3. Those seem to be two reasons....
Costing the DNC money and making the DNC look bad.

Bills are already being filed about the primary timing for next time.

Dean has already said publicly that he supports regional rotating primaries.

Perhaps one could call it harassment.
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Cha Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-24-08 12:23 AM
Response to Reply #3
8. And stalking..they're
stalking Dean 'cause they don't like all the great work he's done for the people and real Democracy.
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madfloridian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-24-08 11:44 AM
Response to Reply #8
13. It is not safe to mention his name here in our area.
Even among the DFAers who used to be. Sad.
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Cha Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-24-08 12:03 PM
Response to Reply #13
14. That's not only sad it's
ridiculous when Dean has only helped Democrats and the Democratic Party.

Is it that they just believe the lies?
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madfloridian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-24-08 12:22 PM
Response to Reply #14
15. No one admits there were lies. They live in dream world.
.
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demokatgurrl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Sep-23-08 08:40 AM
Response to Reply #2
4. Well I don't know..... call me paranoid...
maybe some Repub money is helping this? Create another distraction?


Nah.
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madfloridian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Sep-23-08 09:17 AM
Response to Reply #4
5. Many of us agree on that.
However, though I keep posting the updates on this.....not another Florida blogger ever mentions it. One blog did once, but not again.

I think we should speak up on stuff like this that takes resources, time, and emotion away from the election.

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madfloridian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Sep-23-08 11:51 AM
Response to Original message
6. Last kick
.
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Pete2069 Donating Member (301 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-24-08 12:20 AM
Response to Original message
7. Democrats doing this must be republicans because
If you notice the republicans did about the same d... thing in
Florida this year with out a word or lawsuit;;;
We have a like of democrats that in the last 7 years have
shown they smell to high heaven of the scent of a
republican...
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madfloridian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-24-08 11:16 AM
Response to Reply #7
9. One of them is chair of the county Democrats
The lawyer is. The Hillsborough County Dems are aware what he is doing. Pro bono.

The other, I don't know much about.

These 3 lawsuits did not have to be, and a word or two from higher ups could have stopped a lot of this.

This stuff is serious to me. We are no longer welcome among Dems locally because we stood up for Dean and the DNC. The ones who are tending indy anyway are fine with it...it is the Dem leadership here who are unable to stop loyalties to a single candidate.

You are right though...FL Dems are often the same as Republicans.
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moriah Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-24-08 11:23 AM
Response to Original message
10. My only thought is this:
It truly, truly sucks to be a Democrat in a Red state sometimes.

It was the Republican state legislature that caused this.
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madfloridian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-24-08 11:43 AM
Response to Reply #10
12. No, the Democrats voted for it 99.5%
They even introduced it. I wrote so much about this during the primary, and I have it all ready to post and share again.

NO, it was not the Republicans anymore than the Democrats...they wanted it also.

Here are only a very few.

From instigator to victim. It was a Dem who introduced the early primary
bill in Florida.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1829

How it began last August....how Florida Democrats began their propaganda war
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1819

Jeremy Ring (D-FL) said "relevance is more important than "partying" in
Denver.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1836

The worst part is that this very day FL Dems still shift blame....
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1870

Is Hillary's campaign being run as a "shadow DNC" for her benefit?
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1883

More Florida shenanigans and more insults to Dean from that state.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1858

Think I exaggerate about Florida's attitude? Here's a county chairperson's
rant against Dean.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1827

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BlooInBloo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-24-08 11:25 AM
Response to Original message
11. They just won't stop.
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PatGund Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-24-08 12:34 PM
Response to Original message
16. WHat a load of tripe.
Curiously enough, there's another bullshit lawsuit that is demanding responses from Gov. Dean, the DNC, and Sen. Obama. That's Philip Berg's suit challenging Sen. Obama's citizenship. Deadline for responding is 11:59pm EST tonight.

I'm hoping it's a move to dismiss.
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