The Electoral Count Act of 1887: Part 2
Much of the Electoral Count Act is not a mess, and contrary to the editorials and op-eds cited at the beginning of this article, it is not, as a whole, unconstitutional. In fact, the Electoral Count Act of 1887 contains many useful provisions.
April 14, 2022 at 10:00 AM
8 minute read
So much has already been written, and undoubtedly will continue to be written, about the Electoral Count Act of 1887 that we should pause and actually read it. This article is based on the original text, Chapter 90, approved Feb. 3, 1887, of the Revised Statutes. The original text gives a better picture of the coherence and purpose of the Act than does its codification in separate sections of Title 3 the United States Code.
The short title is "An act to fix the day for the meeting of the electors of President and Vice-President, and to provide for and regulate the counting of the votes for President and Vice-President, and the decision of questions arising therefrom." As we shall see, no substantive question as to the constitutionality of many sections of the Act exist. Indeed, some of its Joint Session procedural provisions could also be viewed as an exercise of Congress's undoubted constitutional rule-making authorities, as for example in the Twenty-Second Joint Rule adopted just after the Civil War and of which the Act is the successor.
So, pace The New York Times article, discussed in my Feb. 23, 2022 New York Law Journal article, and recent publications of the Wall Street Journal Opinion/Commentary, J. Michael Luttig and David B. Rivkin Jr., Congress Sowed the Seeds of Jan. 6 in 1887, Wall St. J., March 18, 2021; Editorial, Preventing Another Jan. 6, Wall St. J., Feb. 16, 2022; Opinion/Letters, Thomas Berry, The Electoral Count Act's Constitutional Role, Wall St. J., Feb. 28, 2022; Opinion/Letters, Mike Luttig and David B. Rivkin Jr., Why The Electoral Count Act Is Unconstitutional, Wall St. J., March 6, 2022. They paint the (un)constitutionality of the Act with too broad brushes.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllFalling Back in Love With Certain Estate Planning Strategies in a Falling Interest Rate Environment
9 minute readNavigating Complex Capital Waters: Preferred Equity in Special Situations
8 minute readExploring the Current State of Middle-Market M&A: Deal Term Trends and Emerging Optimism
8 minute readThe Locked Box Mechanism in Private M&A Transactions: A Streamlined Approach
7 minute readLaw Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1Infant Formula Judge Sanctions Kirkland's Jim Hurst: 'Overtly Crossed the Lines'
- 2Abbott, Mead Johnson Win Defense Verdict Over Preemie Infant Formula
- 3Guarantees Are Back, Whether Law Firms Want to Talk About Them or Not
- 4Trump Files $10B Suit Against CBS in Amarillo Federal Court
- 5Preparing Your Law Firm for 2025: Smart Ways to Embrace AI & Other Technologies
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250