Judge Denies Appeal By Jill Stein's Lawyers For Forensic Examinations Of Philly Voting Machines
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Green Party-backed lawyers representing presidential candidate Jill Stein will not be able to pursue a forensic examination of voting machines in Philadelphia.
After hearing oral arguments, Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Abbe Fletman denied the appeal. She affirmed the city commissioner's decision to reject the request by Jill Stein's lawyers for a forensic audit, to look into the software of voting machines.
After Stein's supporters filed affadavits for the recount, elections officials checked out 75 of 1,686 city voting divisions. While a deputy city solicitor told the judge "there was no evidence of any discrepancies," but Stein attorney Ilann Maazel responded, "If you go to the same doctor twice, ten times, or 100 times you get the same opinion."
"We need to get behind the machine into the software, to make sure they weren't tampered with, to make sure there's no malware, to make sure that they weren't hacked," Maazel said.
Stein's lawyers will have another shot in a wider push for a statewide recount during a Friday afternoon hearing before a federal court judge.
Lawyers for the Republican Party backing President-elect Donald Trump warn any protracted litigation could "wreak havoc on the election process." Under federal election law in this cycle, states must settle any lingering election disputes and certify their votes by next Tuesday.