Louisiana: federal judge gives state until Tuesday to set date for New Orleans elections
AP reports: Louisiana’s top election official assured a federal judge Wednesday that hurricane-delayed elections can be held in New Orleans by late April, and the judge gave the state a week to set the dates.
U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle stopped short of saying he would order elections himself if the state fails to do so by Tuesday, but said he would take steps to make sure voters are not disenfranchised. “I feel like a bull in a China closet if you throw the elections in my hands,” Lemelle told attorneys.
Lemelle scheduled a status conference on the case for Jan. 25.
Gov. Kathleen Blanco postponed the Feb. 4 elections for mayor, sheriff, tax assessors and City Council members after Secretary of State Al Ater said it was impossible to ready the devastated city and track down voters so soon after Hurricane Katrina. -- Judge wants dates for N.O. elections set by Tuesday