Attorneys for Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush geared up Thursday for could became a decisive battle for the US presidency, as the Florida Supreme Court considered Gore's election contest.
"We've always said that the Florida Supreme Court will be the final arbiter," Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman said, adding that its decision would be "the final judgment."
The Florida justices were mulling a request from the US Supreme Court to reconsider their decision last month that extended the initial deadline for tallies to be certified to November 26 to allow the inclusion of manual recounts.
A reversal of their decision would leave Gore with practically no other credible legal avenues in his quest for the White House, legal experts said.
The justices also have a Gore appeal of a county court decision to reject his contest of Florida's certified election results that gave Bush victory by 537 votes.
Meanwhile, Florida's Republican-dominated legislature joined the fray Wednesday, announcing it would convene a special session Friday to pick representatives to the 538-member Electoral College that names the president.
The lawmakers said they would only take the unprecedented and highly controversial step if a December 12 deadline for naming electors were missed.
"It would be irresponsible for us if we failed to put a safety net in place under the current court conditions," Republican Senate President John McKay said.
He said that if the cut-off date were missed, the legislature would name the electors the next day -- a move that would ensure a Bush victory over his Democratic rival Al Gore
With the outcome of the November 7 presidential vote still in doubt, Florida's 25 electors will determine who gets the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.
State House minority leader Lois Frankel expressed outrage.
"It is unfair, unnecessary and unjust," said the Democrat. "I believe this is orchestrated and the only thing missing from the proclamation is the postmark from Austin, Texas," she added, referring to Texas governor Bush's home address.
As McKay, together with House Speaker Tom Feeney, announced the special session, lawyers battled in several courtrooms, with the rival camps presenting written arguments to Florida's highest court even as two other major trials were under way.
At the Florida Supreme Court, the two camps presented briefs arguing their positions on an appeal Gore filed after a lower court rejected his contest of the November 7 elections in Florida.
Each side was given 30 minutes to make its case at Thursday's hearing.
In their brief, Gore's lawyers sharply criticized the rejection by Leon County Circuit Court Judge Sanders Sauls of the vice president's request to have thousands of disputed ballots recounted.
"The most important pieces of evidence in this case -- the 13,000 contested ballots -- have never been reviewed," the brief said.
Gore believes a recount would give him a Florida win and a ticket to the White House.
But lawyers for Bush urged the court to reject the appeal or, if it hears it, to uphold the lower court's ruling.
They said such a decision from Florida's highest court would simplify matters as another pending case would then become moot.
Two other legal battles, meanwhile, could determine whether Bush or Gore heads to the White House.
In the Leon County Circuit Court, Bush's lawyers urged judges in adjoining courtrooms to reject complaints filed by Democratic activists in Seminole and Martin counties who want 25,000 absentee votes to be thrown out because Republicans allegedly tampered with ballot applications in two counties.
They said that canceling the ballots would amount to disenfranchising voters because of a technicality.
Final arguments in the Seminole case are scheduled for 1:00 pm (1800 GMT) Thursday. In the Martin case, the parties were told to return at 8:00 a.m. (1300 GMT) after six hours of cross-examination of Republicans that concluded after midnight.
Gore is not party to either of the absentee ballot cases, but a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs would hand him a Florida win, which Bush would be certain to appeal immediately.
In Austin, Bush said his team remained "absolutely confident" of victory.
"All the different court suits are working their way into finality, and I hope we can get this over with quickly," he said.
US President Bill Clinton weighed in Wednesday by saying that the level of his successor's public acceptance will depend on how closely the Constitution was followed in resolving the current election dispute.
"I think it depends a lot on whether the constitutional system is followed (and whether) the will of the people is determined," Clinton said in an interview prepared for the Discovery television network.
"And then, it depends on how people behave once they get in office," Clinton added -- TALLAHASSEE, Florida (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
