Most of you have heard of Kris Kobach, Crosscheck, and his now defunct Voting Commission. Well, it seems like he is getting his just dues! This article has been out since yesterday and I haven’t seen it mentioned here. And I know there are others here who would love to see him get his. So...
For about two weeks he has been representing himself and others in a trial in a Kansas Federal Court. They are trying to defend a voter ID law in Kansas. The suit was brought by people disenfranchised by this law and the ACLU. And so far he is flunking.
Mr. Kobach’s game may work with partisan lawmakers, but not with federal judges. At the beginning of the trial, Mr. Kobach, who is representing himself, tried to introduce what he said were new data on the number of Kansans whose voter registrations were suspended for lacking proof of citizenship. Judge Julie Robinson of Federal District Court said no, reminding him that the deadline for introducing pretrial evidence had passed the night before. “We’re not going to have a trial by ambush here,” the judge said when Mr. Kobach tried again a few days later.
Here’s an example
On Tuesday, one of Mr. Kobach’s witnesses, a political scientist, Jesse Richman, testified that up to 18,000 noncitizens have registered or tried to register in Kansas. When the A.C.L.U.’s lawyer asked him about his methods for analyzing the state’s list of suspended voters, Mr. Richman said that, among other things, he flagged foreign-sounding names. What about a name like “Carlos Murguia,” the lawyer asked. Would he flag that one? Yes, Mr. Richman said. He was then informed that Carlos Murguia is a federal district judge who sits in the courthouse where the trial is being held.
Yes, this is schadenfraude at its best, or worst, depending how you look at it. Anyway I thought others might enjoy following this story.
How does it feel to have your papers out of order, Mr. Kobach?
www.nytimes.com/...