William & Mary Law School Launches Election Law e-Benchbooks for State Judges

[Image via law.wm.edu]

William & Mary’s Wythe School of Law is home to one of the most active and creative election law programs in the nation – and yesterday released an online resource that is intended to bring their work to state court judges across the nation who likely will need it in resolving election law disputes. Here’s the release:

In this presidential election year and an already hotly contested election season, the Election Law Program has launched a web-based tool aimed at helping judges resolve election litigation fairly and efficiently.

The Election Law Program, a joint project of William & Mary Law School and the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), is launching on June 7 a “State Election Law eBenchbook” website, five months before November elections.  The eBenchbook resource assists judges in navigating the country’s complex election codes. As the November election approaches, judges often must interpret and rule rapidly under the twin pressures of tight timelines and public scrutiny…

The eBenchbook is meant to address a problem identified by the Conference of Chief Justices which noted that: “The number of election law disputes being brought before the state courts has increased dramatically in recent years, often requiring immediate resolution by judges who may be unfamiliar with the basics of election law” [emphasis in original].

“To compound the issue, each state’s election laws are a creature of state law, so we have 50 different sets of rules,” said Green. “That means there can be no generalizing on election issues from other states’ experiences.”

“To date, there has not been a source where a judge in a particular state can turn to a practical reference that’s keyed to that state’s unique election code. Our state election law eBenchbooks will fill that gap.”

Three states were chosen for the June 7 launch: Virginia, Colorado, and Florida.

“In choosing these three states to start with, we wanted geographical diversity,” explained Austin Graham, a recent William & Mary Law School graduate and project manager. “We also wanted to start with swing states and states where there has been a lot of election law litigation. We will add to these three as we move forward.”

The eBenchbook begins with each state’s code, and provides annotations from state election law experts for clarity and context. The eBenchbook hotlinks to quick definitions of terms in each state’s election laws, to relevant case law, advisory opinions, regulations, and to a range of reference sources useful for rapid decision-making.

“It is a dynamic resource,” said Green, “allowing bipartisan committees of election law experts in each state to add commentary, perspective, and context to what would otherwise be a recitation of statutes.”

The Hon. Terry Lewis, a Leon County Florida circuit judge who played a central role in Bush v. Gore and who sits on the Election Law Program’s advisory board, shared his perspective: “Election litigation, once a rarity, has become increasingly common since Bush v. Gore. The Election Law Program’s eBenchbook will be a welcomed resource for judges deciding election-related cases.”

“The resource enables judges to gain a quick understanding of the context of the statutes they are looking at,” said Green, adding, “it is a platform that enables a bipartisan team of attorneys, election administrators, and scholars in judges’ own states to include ancillary materials that would take days, weeks, or even months to collect.”

“Election law cases can be enormously consequential to our democracy,” said Davison M. Douglas, Dean of William & Mary Law School. “The eBenchbook project assists in the resolution of election disputes by providing a nonpartisan resource that enhances our understanding of dense election codes. The project also helps the general public gain greater insight into the laws that determine democratic outcomes.”

Adam Ambrogi, Program Director at the Democracy Fund which generously funded the eBenchbook project, said, “When conflicts occur in the election process there is great pressure to solve them quickly. In an increasingly complex election law environment it is even more important to provide judges with the information they need to arrive at the right decision.”

“This is the first source of its kind for state court judges that provides reliable references to a particular state’s unique election code,” said NCSC President Mary McQueen. “The eBenchbook not only helps judges make fair, timely, and efficient decisions in these disputes, it provides confidence to the public that contested elections are decided in a precise and nonpartisan manner.”

“The eBenchbook’s distinguishing feature is that it integrates relevant, state-specific election law resources using an easy-to-search topical index,” said Amy McDowell, Co-Director of the Election Law Program at NCSC. “When a particular section of the state code is at issue, eBenchbook content can be accessed by individual code sections.”

“In addition to assisting judges deciding cases today, our hope is that this resource will prompt state legislatures across the country to hone state codes and to improve both elections and the voting process,” said Green.

“At a critical time in our democracy, the eBenchbook project marks a tremendous step forward for public access and understanding of the most important information in the United States of America: our laws and legal codes,” said Seamus Kraft, Executive Director of The OpenGov Foundation and an advisor on the eBenchbook project.

“If we want a truly just and equitable society, election laws—and all types of legal data—must be as discoverable, comprehendible and actionable as possible, with absolutely no restrictions,” he said.  “That’s what the eBenchbook project now delivers for the citizens and judicial officials in three key states. We look forward to supporting this great team and this important effort to bring the power of open election law to the other forty-seven.”

Is Professor Green worried about election litigation between now and November? “Litigation is already happening,” says Green of the dozens of election cases pending in courts today. “Particularly in this highly partisan climate, continuing litigation surrounding state and federal elections up to and after the November election is a strong likelihood; the verdicts of this litigation will undoubtedly shape the future of the nation.”

The Election Law Program is already an incredibly valuable asset to the field in that it is training the next generation of election lawyers; this project is just the latest example of how William & Mary is also of tremendous value to current practitioners facing the inevitable rush on courtrooms that characterizes the run-up to Election Day. Thanks to Rebecca Green and her students as well as NCSC for this work – and kudos to the Democracy Fund and other partners for the foresight to make it happen.

I can’t wait to see what new states get added to the list … stay tuned!