I don’t think anyone would accuse U.S. District Court Judge Catherine Eagles of being a right-wing ideologue, which makes it all the more interesting that she found insufficient evidence that Trump supporters plan to intimidate minority voters on Election Day polls:
“These are difficult times,” U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles said after an hour-long hearing into a lawsuit North Carolina’s Democratic Party filed last week.
The lawsuit is similar to cases in five other crucial swing states that could decide whether Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton become the next president.
Federal courts have rejected similar complaints in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Arizona. Nevada and Michigan cases remain pending. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a bid by Ohio Democrats to issue an order aimed at preventing Trump’s supporters from harassing or intimidating voters on Election Day.
North Carolina Democrats asked the judge to block what they claim is a “coordinated campaign of vigilante voter intimidation” involving the state Republican Party; Donald Trump’s presidential campaign; informal Trump adviser Roger Stone; and Stone’s political organization, Stop the Steal, which plans to monitor polling places.
Stone has said Trump-supporting volunteers plan to watch polls in nine U.S. cities, including Charlotte and Fayetteville. Democrats contend that’s aimed at intimidating voters of color.
Hopefully that will put to rest Democracy North Carolina’s fears that not only would Trump supporters be intimidating voters but doing so while brandishing firearms.
