US Supreme Court Accepts Challenge to Mail-In Ballot Counting Law

Big League Politics

The Supreme Court of the United States has agreed to hear a major election-integrity case challenging state laws that allow mail-in ballots to be counted after Election Day — a move conservatives say could restore long-lost trust in America’s elections.

At issue is whether states such as Mississippi and Illinois can continue counting mail ballots that arrive in the days following Election Day, so long as they were postmarked by Election Day. Roughly 18 states and the District of Columbia currently allow this practice.

The Mississippi case, which the Court accepted Monday, questions whether federal law — which sets a single, nationwide Election Day for choosing members of Congress and the presidency — preempts state laws that effectively extend that period by several days.

Mississippi’s attorney general has argued that such extensions undermine the “uniform Election Day” standard and threaten to sow confusion and doubt about late-arriving ballots.

4 Family Members of Illinois Governor Candidate killed in Montana Helicopter Crash, Campaign Says

Four family members of a Republican running for governor in Illinois were killed in a Montana helicopter crash, his campaign said Thursday.

The son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren of former state lawmaker Darren Bailey, who lost the 2022 gubernatorial election in Illinois and is seeking his party’s nomination again in next year’s race, were killed in the crash Wednesday. Bailey previously served in both the Illinois House and Senate.

Bailey’s son, Zachary, his wife, Kelsey, and their two young children, Vada Rose, 12, and Samuel, 7, died in the crash in a remote area of eastern Montana, his campaign said in a statement. The couple’s third child was not on the helicopter.

“Darren and Cindy are heartbroken by this unimaginable loss. They are finding comfort in their faith, their family, and the prayers of so many who love and care for them,” the statement said.

Doctors, Disability Activists Split on Support for Controversial Procedure

byAndrew Adams

 

 

CHICAGO — Lawmakers are considering legalizing a controversial medical practice that proponents say could ease suffering for the terminally ill.

It’s sometimes called “assisted suicide,” although physicians and advocates for the practice prefer the term “medical aid in dying,” or MAID.

While Compassion & Choices — a group that advocates for medical aid in dying policies — found a majority of Illinois voters supported legalizing MAID in a 2023 poll, some critics call the process “barbaric.”

Illinois Doctor Opposes Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia Legalization

By Dr. Kevin Garner*

I am writing as a medical doctor with board certifications in internal medicine, hospice and palliative medicine, and addiction medicine. I work as a hospital physician, a hospice consultant, and provide primary care to an underserved population suffering from mental illness and addiction. Due to the Illinois Senate’s recent efforts to legalize “medical aid in dying” (aka, physician assisted suicide or euthanasia), I feel compelled to voice the opinion of many in the medical community regarding our opposition to empowering medical professionals to prescribe death.

The bill [SB 3499] is based on several flawed assumptions. Firstly, it overestimates the accuracy of a physician’s ability to predict a patient’s death within six months. Over the years, I have witnessed numerous patients who, despite meeting the six-month prognosis criteria for hospice care, have survived well beyond this period. Published studies confirm the high variability of physician prognostication.