Pennsylvania

How Courts Are Impacting 2024 Election: Pennsylvania Supreme Court Shuts Down RNC Effort To Disqualify Voters

Published

2 years ago

October 24, 2024

How Courts Are Impacting 2024 Election: Pennsylvania Supreme Court Shuts Down RNC Effort To Disqualify Voters

Topline

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that voters whose mail-in ballots are rejected can still cast provisional ballots, after the Republican National Committee sued to stop the practice, as courts across the country are issuing a flurry of last-minute rulings on ballots and how elections are run in the month before Election Day as parties seek to expand or limit voter access.

A polling station in Hawthorne, California, on March 5.

AFP via Getty Images

Timeline

Oct. 23The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled voters whose mail-in ballots were rejected because of defects—like issues with their signature or the date—can cast provisional ballots to make sure they can vote, after the RNC defended a county’s decision to stop those voters from casting ballots if their mail votes were rejected.

Oct. 22The Georgia Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling blocking new voting rules from taking effect—like a requirement to hand-count ballots and other provisions that Democrats warned could delay the election results from being certified—which means that while litigation will continue, the rules will not be in effect during the general election.

Oct. 22A federal judge dismissed a Republican National Committee-led lawsuit in Michigan that took issue with voter rolls in the state, alleging the number of voters was “impossibly high” and the state wasn’t removing voters from their rolls as required by law, with the judge ruling the plaintiffs didn’t provide enough evidence there was any wrongdoing.

Oct. 21Judges in Michigan and North Carolina rejected lawsuits brought by the RNC challenging overseas voters casting a ballot in those states even if they’ve never actually lived there—for instance, if their parents or spouse lived there—with the Michigan judge calling it an “11th hour attempt to disenfranchise” those voters.

Oct. 18A federal judge in Nevada dismissed an RNC lawsuit challenging the state’s voter rolls—claiming, like in Michigan, that the number of voters was “impossibly high”—throwing out the lawsuit for a second time and ruling the plaintiffs hadn’t provided any “concrete specifics” of wrongdoing.

Oct. 17A Trump-appointed judge in North Carolina struck down a Republican lawsuit aiming to remove 225,000 voters from the state’s voter rolls, alleging fraud, with the judge ruling that removing those voters would move the state “away from a democratic form of government.”

Oct. 16The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled convicted felons can vote in the state after they’ve completed their sentence, striking down an effort by the state to prevent them from voting as Nebraska could become pivotal to determining which presidential candidate wins the Electoral College.

Oct. 16A federal judge blocked a program in Alabama that purged voters from the voter rolls—claiming doing so would help prevent noncitizens from voting—after the Justice Department sued to stop the program because it was too close to the election.

Oct. 16A lower Georgia state judge blocked the new election rules in Georgia that could have potentially delayed the vote certification, after Democrats argued the state election board’s new rules could cause “chaos” in November.

Oct. 15The Ohio Supreme Court upheld restrictions on ballot drop boxes, after the state enacted new limitations saying people dropping off ballots for voters with disabilities have to go into an election office rather than leaving the ballot in a drop box.

Oct. 15A Georgia state judge issued a judgment saying state election workers must certify their county’s election results—regardless of whether they think any ballots were fraudulent—after an official who had refused to certify results in the past asked for clarification and more than a dozen local officials have voted against certifying in recent years.

Oct. 12A federal judge rejected an effort by conservatives to require Arizona to confirm voters’ citizenship ahead of the election.

Oct. 7The Pennsylvania Supreme Court declined to take up two voting cases after Democrats challenged counties throwing out ballots with incorrect or missing dates, and Republicans opposed some county officials letting voters correct issues with their mail-in ballots, which should not be allowed under state law.

What To Watch For

There are many outstanding cases that still have to be decided by Election Day, with Marc Elias, a voting rights attorney aligned with the Democratic Party, reporting Sunday that 191 cases are pending in 39 states. The Justice Department has sued Virginia for challenging voters’ eligibility too close to the election, for instance, and Georgia Republicans are appealing the ruling against the state election board’s new rules. The RNC has filed lawsuits taking aim at voting practices, including alleging Fulton County, Georgia, did not hire enough Republican poll workers. More lawsuits are also likely to be filed and rapidly decided in the two weeks before Election Day.

What We Don’t Know

What will happen after Election Day. Close election results in any battleground state could prompt a slew of lawsuits over how ballots are counted and the election results, as happened in 2020 when the Trump campaign launched a wide-ranging legal campaign challenging the vote count. Battleground states are already preparing for an anticipated onslaught of post-election lawsuits, Reuters reports, with Arizona’s court system ordering judges to prioritize election lawsuits so that certification doesn’t get delayed. Republican and Democratic campaigns are also gearing up for a busy legal landscape: An RNC official told ABC News the party has 5,000 volunteer attorneys ready to be deployed on Election Day, and ABC cited an internal memo from Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign that claims it is “the most prepared campaign in history for what we face” in terms of litigation.

Chief Critic

Democrats have heavily criticized Republicans for the rash of lawsuits they’ve brought ahead of Election Day and are likely to continue filing, arguing the GOP is trying to sow doubt in the election results even before they’ve come in. “We’re seeing a record number of lawsuits filed before the election—nearly every day—in a seemingly coordinated push to use the legitimacy of the courts to lay the groundwork for discrediting an unfavorable result,” Wendy Weiser, director of the Brennan Center for Justice’s Democracy Program, told ABC News. “The lawsuits are not about getting legal relief, but about spreading conspiracy theories.” Many of the GOP lawsuits that have been brought are based on concerns about election irregularities or fraud, such as noncitizen voting or mail-in ballots, even though evidence has shown election fraud is exceedingly rare and there is no evidence of any widespread fraud in the 2020 election.

Key Background

Republicans have ramped up legal challenges and tightened voting rules since the 2020 election. Trump and his allies filed at least 60 lawsuits challenging the vote count in 2020 as the then-president made baseless allegations of fraud, and Republicans have used Trump’s fraud allegations as an underpinning for their litigation challenging voting rules. GOP-led states have also pointed to Trump’s baseless claims to justify enacting their own tighter restrictions on voting ahead of the 2024 election, which Democrats have then challenged in court. The RNC announced in April it intended to make its litigation efforts a key part of its strategy in the general election, launching an extensive “election integrity” effort with 100,000 staffers and volunteers. Chief Counsel Charlie Spies said in a statement the “RNC legal team will be working tirelessly to ensure that elections officials follow the rules” and “will aggressively take them to court if they don’t.”

Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling on cast vote records creates uncertainty for counties

Published

1 hour ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling on cast vote records creates uncertainty for counties

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Pennsylvania

Charles “Yami” Frederick Jamison, New Castle, PA

Published

13 hours ago

May 10, 2026

Press Room

Charles “Yami” Frederick Jamison, New Castle, PA

NEW CASTLE, Pa. (MyValleyTributes) – Charles “Yami” Frederick Jamison, age 83, of New Castle, Pennsylvania, formerly of Warren, Ohio, passed away, surrounded by his family, on Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Haven Convalescent Home.

Mr. Jamison was born December 2, 1942, in New Castle, a son of the late Charles N. and Anna (Callihan) Jamison and was a 1960 graduate of New Castle High School.

Charles worked as an order checker clerk for Packard Electric Company, Warren, Ohio, for 31 years, until his retirement in 1999.

A proud veteran, he served his country in the United States Navy.

He was a member of St. Mary’s Church, Warren, Ohio and also attended Mass at Holy Spirit Parish – St. Mary’s Church.

Charles spent his free time hunting and playing Euchre.

He is survived by his four sisters, Margaret I. Klann, Mary E. DeMarco and Catherine “Kay” A. Houk (Robert), all of New Castle and Susan J. Olson (Donald), Winfield, Illinois; his brother, Richard Jamison (Linda) of New Castle; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Memorial contributions may be directed to the City Rescue Mission, 319 S. Croton Ave., New Castle, PA, 16101, and the Salvation Army, 240 W. Grant St., New Castle, PA, 16101.

The family would like to extend their gratitude and appreciation to the Haven Convalescent Home for the care and support that Charles received over the years.

Calling Hours will be from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in J. Bradley McGonigle Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 111 W. Falls St., New Castle.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on 10:30 a.m., Wednesday May 13, 2026, in Holy Spirit Parish – St. Mary’s Church, 124 N. Beaver St., New Castle, with Rev. Aaron Kriss, as celebrant.

Interment: Castleview Memorial Gardens, Neshannock Twp.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Charles F. Jamison, please visit our flower store.

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Pennsylvania

Heading to Pennsylvania? New law will cost you if you text and drive

Published

1 day ago

May 10, 2026

Press Room

Heading to Pennsylvania? New law will cost you if you text and drive

Traveling from the First State to the Keystone State soon?

If so, you might want to put your cellphone down while you’re in the car unless you don’t mind coughing up a few extra bucks.

Beginning June 6, drivers caught using an electrical device while driving will be fined $50.

See how the new law works and what devices are legal to use while driving in neighboring Pennsylvania and here in Delaware.

Is it legal to use a cellphone while driving in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania law has barred drivers from reading, writing or sending text messages while driving since 2012, but other handheld cellphone uses were permitted.

The new law that takes effect next month expands the ban to all handheld device use while driving.

New law expands cellphone driving ban in PA

The new regulation, dubbed Paul Miller’s Law, defines an interactive mobile device as basically any electronic handheld device that can be used for things such as voice communication, texting, surfing the internet, playing games, taking photos or sharing social media that can be operated using at least one hand or “supporting body part” or requires pressing more than a single button.

Can I text when stopped at a red light in Pennsylvania?

No, the Pennsylvania law defines driving as operating a motor vehicle on a highway, including anytime the vehicle is temporarily stationary because of traffic, a traffic control device or other momentary delay such as a traffic backup.

What are the penalties for using a cellphone while driving in PA?

Prior to the law going into effect, the penalty is a written warning.
Starting June 6, the penalty is a summary offense with a $50 fine, plus court costs and other fees.
The law does not authorize the seizure of an interactive wireless device.
The violation carries no points against your license and it is not recorded on the driver’s record for noncommercial drivers. It will be recorded on a commercial driver’s record as a non-sanction violation.
If a driver is convicted of homicide by vehicle and driving while distracted, they may be sentenced up to an additional five years in prison.

When can you use a mobile device in the car in Pennsylvania?

A driver may use an interactive mobile device if the driver moves the vehicle to the side of or off a highway and halts in a location where the vehicle can safely remain stationary
The hands-free law allows for an emergency use exception if it is necessary to communicate with a law enforcement official or other emergency service to prevent injury to persons or property.
The texting ban does not include the use of a GPS device or a system or device that is physically or electronically integrated into the vehicle, or a communications device that is affixed to a mass transit vehicle, bus or school bus.

Who is the new law in PA named for?

Paul Miller Jr., 21, was killed in a head-on motor vehicle accident with a tractor-trailer in 2010 in Monroe County as the result of a distracted driver who reached for their phone while driving. He was a junior at East Stroudsburg University where he was majoring in sociology.

After his death, his mother, Eileen Miller, has become a national advocate for stronger laws to curb distracted driving. In 2024, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the law prohibiting the use of hand-held devices while driving, making Pennsylvania the 29th state to ban distracted driving.

Can you use a cellphone while driving in Delaware?

No, it is illegal for drivers to use any hand-held devices while driving in Delaware — and has been for over a decade.

This ban not only includes cellphones and smartphones, but also laptops, portable computers and tablets.

Drivers are also barred from reading, writing or sending text messages or emails; using the internet; or talking without a hands-free device at the ready while operating a vehicle.

Is there a fine for using a cellphone while driving in Delaware?

Any motorist caught using any hand-held device while driving will be fined $100 for their first offense. Any subsequent offense will result in a fine between $200 and $300.

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