Wisconsin judge throws out 234,000 voter registrations News
mounsey / Pixabay
Wisconsin judge throws out 234,000 voter registrations

Judge Paul Malloy of Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, ruled for Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) Friday to purge voter registrations of 234,000 voters.

The complaint filed in November claimed the Wisconsin Election Commission risked Wisconsin’s election integrity by allowing voter registrations from old addresses to remain active. The Commission sent a letter in October to 234,000 voters (about 7 percent of the electorate), who may have changed their address, requesting that the voter update his or her voter registration or alert election officials if he or she remained at the registered address. WILL argued that the voters should be removed within 30 days if the Commission had not heard from them, but the Commission had originally planned to remove the registration in 2021 if lacking a response. The voters who received the letters were disproportionately registered as Democrats.

Malloy said, “If you don’t like [the decision,] you have to go back to the legislature.” The case is expected to be appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

The Wisconsin Election Commission issued a statement in response to the ruling: “We will be analyzing the judge’s oral decision and consulting with the six members of the Wisconsin Elections Commission on the [sic] next steps. A written order has not been issued yet.”

As previously reported, it is expected next year’s election results to depend on voter turnout in battleground states, like Wisconsin.

THIS DAY @ LAW

District of Columbia named seat of US government

On July 16, 1790, the District of Columbia was established as the permanent seat of the United States government by the Residence Act. Originally the district contained land on both sides of the Potomac, grants from Maryland and Virginia, but in the mid-19th century, when it was obvious that the major government buildings were being built on the Maryland side, Virginia asked for its land back and received it. Learn more about the District of Columbia.

Saddam Hussein becomes President of Iraq

On July 16, 1979, Hasan al-Bakr resigned as President of Iraq. He was replaced by Saddam Hussein, who held power until he was deposed by American forces in 2003. In 2006, Hussein was tried and convicted of crimes against humanity. He was executed by hanging later that year. Learn more about relations between the United States and Saddam Hussein from George Washington University.