Litigation
HAVA Good Time: An Election Law Victory
We successfully defended the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in a suit that challenged Allegheny County's purchase of voting machines that comply with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). Plaintiffs sought a preliminary injunction blocking the use of the new machines. Had the injunction been granted, it would have jeopardized millions of dollars in federal funding provided to the Commonwealth (and then to Allegheny County) for the purpose of purchasing the HAVA-compliant machines. The timing of the suit, just five weeks before the Pennsylvania primary election, resulted in a frantic pace for the litigation. Hangley Aronchick triumphed after a three day preliminary injunction hearing held in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. The case involved both novel legal issues, such as the viability of private rights of action under HAVA, as well as practical issues such as the ability of Allegheny County to use its old lever machines when it had not prepared to do so. Hangley Aronchick worked along with lawyers from the Commonwealth, Allegheny County, and the United States Department of Justice on this matter. Mark Aronchick, Alan Promer and Sozi Tulante handled the matter for the firm.