Election results must be certified, Georgia judge rules

By OC Tribune Staff on October 15, 2024 • ( Leave a comment )

A GEORGIA JUDGE ruled Tuesday that election results must be certified as required by law (Shutterstock).

Election results must be certified by the deadline set by law and local officials may not set aside votes from certification even if error or fraud are suspected, a Georgia judge ruled on Monday.

According to the Associated Press, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert Burney issued the order, citing Georgia law that requires that county election officials “shall” certify election results by 5 p.m. of the Monday following an election.

Early in-person voting began Tuesday in Georgia. The judge’s ruling may have an impact on elections reporting. Fulton County includes Atlanta, which has a large Democratic majority. In 2020, then-president Donald Trump was leading until the Fulton County vote came in and now-President Joe Biden carried the state, which helped him win an Electoral College majority and the presidency.

Israel warned on humanitarian aid

Israel has been warned by the United States to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the war-torn Gaza Strip within a month or face the prospect of losing American military assistance.

MEDICS transport an injured Palestinian child into Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike (Photo by Atia Darwish APaimages/Wikipedia)

The New York Times reported that letters were sent Tuesday from the U.S secretaries of state and defense. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that the level of “humanitarian assistance has not been sustained” and fallen by over 50 percent from its highest point.

At the same time, Israel has reportedly promised the Biden Administration that it would not launch strikes at oil production facilities and nuclear enrichment plants in Iran, when it responds to missile attacks on Israel. Such strikes, many fear, would run the risk of enlarging and intensifying war in the Middle East.

The vow does not rule out hitting missile launchers, storage sites and factories that build weapons such as drones and missiles.

Honorable discharges for gay veterans

U.S. military veterans who were “administratively separated” from service under the old “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue” policy on homosexuality will now receive “honorable discharges,” the Department of Defense announced on Tuesday.

According to United Press International, more than 800 military veterans will be getting their discharges shortly, although about 13,500 people overall were removed from military service for being gay.

The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was initiated by President Bill Clinton in 1993 as an “easing” of sanctions against gays serving in the military, but discharges continued based on sexual orientation.

Weather: Cooler, chance of rain

Our West Orange County cities are expected to experience some cooler days and heightened chance of rain for a few days, leading to a forecast of sunny skies this weekend. Wednesday is expected to have a daytime high of 68 with an overnight low of 62 under cloudy skies and with a 11 percent chance of rain. Thursday will be similar with a high of 68 and and a low of 56 with cloudy skies and a 13 percent chance of rain. Things will warm up on Friday as the day’s high reaches 72 (57) with partly cloudy skies. Saturday is expected to bring sunshine with a high of 75 and a low of 57.