Nevada

Fed judge tosses GOP challenge to Nevada’s mail-ballot counting rules: They ‘lack standing’

Published

2 years ago

July 19, 2024

Fed judge tosses GOP challenge to Nevada’s mail-ballot counting rules: They ‘lack standing’

LAS VEGAS — Republicans have vowed to continue pressing legal claims against Nevada’s 2021 law allowing the inclusion of mail-in ballots received up to four days after Election Day.

Federal District Court Chief Judge Miranda Du said plaintiffs including the Republican National Committee, the state GOP, the 2024 Trump campaign and Nevada voter Donald Szymanski, a registered Republican, “lack standing to challenge the Nevada mail ballot receipt deadline.”

The plaintiffs had sued Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar, Washoe County Registrar of Voters Cari-Ann Burgess, Washoe County Clerk Jan Galassini and Lorena Portillo and Lynn Marie Goya, respectively Clark County’s voter registrar and county clerk. The two counties are the state’s most populous.

In a 15-page ruling, Du, a 2011 Obama appointee to the federal bench, said none of the plaintiff’s claims demonstrates they “have suffered, or will likely suffer, an injury” if the ballot-counting measure is allowed to stand. The judge said “it does not necessarily follow that mail ballots arriving after Election Day will skew Democratic. And even if later-arriving mail ballots have favored Democrats past elections, it is far from guaranteed that Nevada voters will behave similarly this November.”

She went on, “The Nevada mail ballot receipt deadline does not have an ‘individual and personal’ effect on the voting power of Republican voters; it neither undermines their access to the polls nor disproportionately diminishes the weight of their votes relative to other Nevada voters.”

Clark and Washoe counties tallied 45,596 mail-in ballots in 2022 voting, the secretary of state’s office reported, with 89% of those arriving the day after Election Day.

It’s unknown how those ballots broke down along party lines, but Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto defeated GOP challenger Adam Laxalt by 8,000 votes that year.

Republicans believe Nevada, which hasn’t gone for a GOP presidential candidate since 2004, could end up in former President Donald Trump’s column this year and have stepped up voter-integrity efforts, with party chair Michael Whatley saying the Silver State is “absolutely critical” in regaining the White House.

A GOP spokeswoman, Claire Zunk, told Courthouse News the party will appeal.

“Our case fights a Nevada law that shouldn’t be on the books; it breaks federal law and allows mail ballots to be counted after Election Day,” Zunk said. “Rather than letting us fight this in court, a liberal judge unjustifiably dismissed our case. Political parties must be allowed to fight invalid election laws that threaten the integrity of our elections. We are committed to protecting the ballot and we will pursue further legal action in this case.”

The Republicans are not alone in challenging voter issues in the Silver State. Last month, the Public Interest Legal Foundation, joined by two Nevada voters, sued Clark County’s Portillo over rolls showing voters listing a casino, several industrial parks and a topless club as their residential addresses.

That lawsuit, along with a similar one in Washoe County, is pending.

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Nevada

Mansion on the Nevada Side of Lake Tahoe Swiftly Sells for $46 Million

Published

3 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Mansion on the Nevada Side of Lake Tahoe Swiftly Sells for Million

A waterfront mansion on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe just sold for $46 million, less than three weeks after hitting the market.

The speedy deal marks a departure from the typical U.S. market.

Nationwide, homes took a median 78 days to land a buyer in January, five more than the same time last year and the 22nd straight month of homes taking longer to sell on a year-over-year basis, according to data from Realtor.com.

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The lavish log cabin-like residence, in Incline Village, listed on Jan. 24 for $47.5 million. It sold 20 days later, on Feb. 13, listing records show.

The more than 7,000-square-foot residence was built in 2014, and has double-height living spaces, walls of windows, beamed ceilings, fireplaces, and plenty of rustic exposed stone and wood, listing images show.

There’s also a gym, a wet bar, a spa, a wine room, an office, two separate game rooms, seven bedrooms and dramatic Lake Tahoe views. Outside, there’s a private sandy beach, multiple decks, a heated driveway and two exterior fireplaces, according to listing information.

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The seller and the buyer are both limited liability companies, according to property records. Both parties were represented by Jeff Brown of Tahoe Mountain Realty, who declined to comment on the deal.

The median home price in Incline Village was $1.595 million as of December, a fall of 3.3% from a year earlier, according to data from Realtor.com. Listings, meanwhile, spent an average of 130 days on the market.

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