All the talk around DC (okay, maybe not) is whether the EAC is openly defying a court order or just too incompetent to update the federal voter registration application instructions for Kansas, Arizona, and other states that have citizenship verification requirements. The Department of Justice (Civil Rights Division) is now running the show at the EAC and refusing to comply with the March 19 court order. In its pleading, Kansas and Arizona believe the EAC and DOJ should be held in contempt for misleading the Court and now delaying implementation of the order. DOJ claims the EAC needs additional time to translate the few paragraphs of instructions into 7 different languages. Link here for the DOJ response and additional litigation history.
Of course, this contradicts with the earlier EAC assertions:
The court filing late Monday comes in response to U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren’s decision on March 19 requiring the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to immediately modify a national voter registration form to add special instructions for Arizona and Kansas residents about those states’ proof-of-citizenship requirements.
No stay has been granted. Earlier, the EAC prayed to the Court that they needed until April 11 to have the updated form on its website translated. April 24? Still crickets, nothing on the website or instructions. In fact, Arizona’s instructions to voters still have not been updated by the EAC since 2006 due to liberal bureaucracy at the EAC. A month past the court ruling and two weeks past their self-proclaimed deadline and still no revised instructions. The federal court should bring down the hammer on DOJ and the EAC.
I think the real difference between Watergate and the crimes of this administration boils down to this: one angry, determined federal judge.
If a modern-day Judge Sirica gets into this manure pile, the stuff will hit the fan!