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
Costantino v. Detroit
Closed
Costantino v. Detroit, No. 20-014780-AW |
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| Case Summary | Plaintiffs, Wayne County voters, alleged several instances of election misconduct. Plaintiffs alleged that the city of Detroit processed and counted ballots from voters whose names did not appear in the Qualified Voter File; instructed election workers to not verify signatures on absentee ballots, to backdate absentee ballots, and to process such ballots regardless of their validity; and, "on a daily basis leading up to the election, coached voters to vote for Joe Biden and the Democrat party." Plaintiffs sought an audit and an injunction against certifying election results. | |
| Filed | 11/09/2020 | |
| State | Michigan | |
| Type of Court | State | |
| Status | Closed | |
| Last Updated | 05/13/2021 | |
| Issue Tag(s) | Vote-by-Mail (Signature Verification Standards, Mail Voting Deadlines (for Applying, Receiving, Postmark), Poll Observer Access) | |
| Complaint(s) | 11/09/2020: Complaint filed. | |
| Dispositive Ruling(s) | 11/13/2020: Order/Ruling, The court found that the affidavits supplied by plaintiffs, purporting fraud, were "rife" with generalization, speculation, hearsay, and a lack of evidentiary basis. The court held that the evidence supports no credible finding of fraud at the TCF Center. Furthermore, the injunctive relief plaintiffs ask for, against certification of Wayne County results, would amount to judicial activism in light of the other remedies available. The court denied the injunction. | |
Costantino v. Detroit, No. 355443 |
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| Case Summary | Appeal of lower court's denial of an injunction. | |
| Filed | 11/16/2020 | |
| State | Pennsylvania | |
| Type of Court | State | |
| Status | Closed | |
| Last Updated | 05/13/2021 | |
| Issue Tag(s) | Vote-by-Mail (Poll Observer Access, Mail Voting Deadlines (for Applying, Receiving, Postmark), Signature Verification Standards) | |
| Dispositive Ruling(s) | 11/16/2020: Appellant Brief | |
| 11/16/2020: Order/Ruling, Application for reversal and application for appeal both denied. | ||
Costantino v. Detroit, No. 162245 |
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| Case Summary | Appeal from denial of motion to reverse and motion to appeal. | |
| Filed | 11/17/2020 | |
| State | Pennsylvania | |
| Type of Court | State | |
| Status | Closed () | |
| Last Updated | 11/24/2020 | |
| Issue Tag(s) | Vote-by-Mail (Poll Observer Access, Signature Verification Standards, Mail Voting Deadlines (for Applying, Receiving, Postmark)) | |
| Dispositive Ruling(s) | 11/17/2020: Appellant Brief | |
| 11/23/2020: Order/Ruling, The Michigan Supreme Court, in considering plaintiffs' request to enjoin the Wayne County Board of Canvassers election certification, ruled that the case is now moot, since the Board has already certified the election results. | ||
