U.S. Judge: No New Orleans Election Delay

[cal04]

A federal judge Friday refuse to postpone the April 22 mayoral election in New Orleans, turning back arguments that too many black residents scattered by Hurricane Katrina will be unable to take part. The decision was issued by U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle, who had earlier pressured state officials to make sure the election was held by the end of April.

"We're extremely disappointed," said Tracie Washington, one of the lawyers working with hurricane victim advocates who wanted to either delay the election or force the state to set up "satellite" voting operations out of state.

Mayor Ray Nagin, who has been criticized in some quarters for his response to the hurricane, is running for re-election in New Orleans, which was a mostly black city of nearly half a million people before Katrina reduced it to well under 200,000 inhabitants. The city has not had a white mayor since 1978.

Secretary of State Al Ater, Louisiana's top election official, said the state has done everything possible to ensure that displaced New Orleans residents can vote and that there will be strong participation by black voters. "I certainly hope there is, and I sincerely believe if there's not, it will be by choice and not any barriers," Ater said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060224/ap_on_el_st_lo/new_orleans_election_1

[bluestateguy]

1. That's a shame

Nagin will have to cancel the election on his own, I guess, and make himself mayor for the duration of the emergency.

[AtomicKitten]

2. it's a travesty.

shameful.

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

3. This is an insane oligarchy power strategy-they want to take take take !!

But they wil not succeed-mark my words-

The rich live there uptown yes-but they are NOT part of the Bush Cronies --
Wealthy oil people live there too--but they are not part of the scheming neo-con miky mouse klub-


New Orleans has (figuratively) always been a country unto itself

And shall remain so !

[David Dunham]

4. Nagrin is a goner.

[Sgent]

5. Yep...

Nagin, who is the last best chance to restore NOLA to its previous state (good and bad), is most likely gone.

Instead, we will get a David Vitter clone elected by the now mostly white residents of the city.