Democratic Vice President Al Gore took his case for a hand recount of votes in Florida to the state's highest court, saying Wednesday it should determine the legality and standards for the procedure.
Announcing the move to reporters here, Gore's top legal aide, Warren Christopher, said he would file a petition later in the day with the Florida Supreme Court "to speed up the resolution of the matter."
The move by Gore came hours after his opponent, Republican George W. Bush, also acted through a top state official to take his case to the highest court in a bid to consolidate lawsuits scattered throughout the state.
Christopher said manual recounts under way in some Florida counties should go ahead pending any ruling by the supreme court, which should spell out specific, uniform standards, procedures and deadlines for the vote review.
"We will certainly abide by the standard that the supreme court of the state of Florida sets," Christopher said.
The court is dominated by judges appointed by Florida's previous state governor, a Democrat. The court has not yet responded to either the Gore or Bush petition for hearing their cases -- TALLAHASSEE (AFP)
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