This database consolidates and tracks litigation concerning the effect of the pandemic on election law. The purpose of this tool is to provide an interactive list of relevant cases that can be searched by issue, court, status, and jurisdiction.
Case Details
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee v. Pate
Closed
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee v. Pate I, No. 05771 CVCV060642 (Iowa Dist. Ct., Polk Cnty.) |
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| Case Summary | After being denied the opportunity to intervene in the RNC's lawsuits against the Johnson, Linn, and Woodbury county auditors, the DSCC, DCCC and the Iowa Democratic Party filed this lawsuit alleging that a Directive written by the Iowa Secretary of State was invalid under the Iowa Constitution, because it interferes with the counties' "home rule", interferes with Iowans' right to vote, and violates their right to equal protection and due process. The Directive in question ordered county auditors to send blank absentee ballot applications, even when the county auditors in Johnson, Linn and Woodbury counties had begun to send out pre-filled absentee ballot applications to promote valid requests and limit administrative burdens on those counties. | |
| Filed | 08/31/2020 | |
| State | Iowa | |
| Type of Court | State | |
| Status | Closed | |
| Last Updated | 03/13/2021 | |
| Issue Tag(s) | Vote-by-Mail (Notice/Cure for Mismatches Missing Signature or Mistakes) Authority To Act (State Separation of Powers) |
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| Complaint(s) | 08/31/2020: Complaint, Petition at Law and Equity filed. | |
| Dispositive Ruling(s) | 10/05/2020: Other, The court issued a stay of the secretary of state's directive to mail all households blank mail-in ballots. | |
| 11/18/2020: Order/Ruling, Dismissed. | ||
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee v. Pate I, No. 20-1281 (Iowa Sup. Ct.) |
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| Case Summary | The Secretary of State seeks interlocutory review of district court orders staying his blank applications directive concerning the 2020 general election. | |
| Filed | 10/08/2020 | |
| State | Iowa | |
| Type of Court | State | |
| Status | Closed | |
| Last Updated | 03/13/2021 | |
| Issue Tag(s) | Authority To Act (Other) Secretary of State authority under state statutes. |
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| Dispositive Ruling(s) | 10/14/2020: Other, The Iowa Supreme Court vacated the district court's stay, finding that the lower court incorrectly analyzed the relevant law establishing the Iowa Secretary of State's authority. | |
