Constitutional Law

Republican Official Lodges Legal Action Against Mich. Newspaper Over Article On Home Foreclosure List and Voting

A Michigan Republican party official is suing an independent newspaper for defamation over its reporting on the official’s comment that residents with foreclosed homes would be barred from voting in November. The Michigan Messenger quoted James Carabelli, chairman of the Macomb County Republican Party, in September as saying, “We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren’t voting from those addresses.” The president and CEO of the Center for Independent Media (CIM), which owns the Messenger, is standing by the newspaper’s reporting. “I think this is a use of defamation to stifle free speech,” David Bennahuam told TMPmuckraker.

A string of incidents nationwide over potential voting obstacles, especially for students, has caught media glare recently. On Tuesday, Oct. 7, ACS and American University’s Washington College of Law will co-host a panel discussion on issues that could affect voting rights in the forthcoming general election, including voter identification laws and efforts aimed at suppressing voter turnout. The event, to be simulcast, will be available via streaming video at www.ACSLaw.org/ProtecttheVote. Also, see the ACS Web site providing educational material on students’ voting rights.

Full post as published by ACS Blog on October 03, 2008 (boomark / email).