Judge orders immediate recount of Michigan's presidential results
A federal judge in Detroit has ruled that the recount of Michigan’s presidential results can begin at noon on Monday, a decision that gives the state more time to complete the count ahead of the Dec. 13 deadline.
Judge Mark Goldsmith issued his ruling late Sunday night, rejecting an effort by state officials to wait two business days to get started hand-counting about 4.8 million ballots.
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein requested a recount, but Republican President-elect Donald Trump sued elections officials to stop it.
“Many of these costs would be acceptable if Michigan law really did entitle Stein to a recount,” Trump’s team wrote in the objection. “But it does not. And there is no reason to rewrite Michigan election law to accommodate the conspiracy-minded requests of an acknowledged loser.”
Stein’s lawyers argued that waiting until Wednesday to start a recount would cut too close to the Dec. 13 deadline to have it finished. Electors in every state will formally vote for the candidate who won their state on Dec. 19.
The Green Party also wants recounts in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton by 10,704 votes in Michigan. Stein received about 1 percent of the vote.