The recount is off. Federal District Judge Mark Goldsmith has dissolved his own order to start the recount.
That order came down on Sunday night to start the recount Monday at noon. The recount couldn't be stopped until he got rid of that order. That's what he did Wednesday around 8 p.m.
The decision about whether to have a recount at all falls to the Michigan Court of Appeals. It decided yesterday that Presidential Candidate Jill Stein didn't have a right to call for a recount because she only won one percent of the vote in Michigan and had no chance of winning through a recount.
Stein's attorney said that it's important to make sure that the election is fair and there has been fraud of mistakes but Goldsmith responded to that in his written decision, saying, "Seeking a recount as an audit of the election to test whether the vulnerability led to actual compromise of the voting system — has never been endorsed by any court, and would require, at a minimum, evidence of significant fraud or mistake — and not speculative fear of them. Such evidence has not been presented here."
The Michigan Republican Party applauded the judge's decision. Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel said in a statement, “This is a victory for the taxpayers and voters of Michigan who can be assured that their vote will count when the state’s electors meet on December 19th. The courts have affirmed the stance the campaign has maintained from day one: Jill Stein, who received only 1.07% of the vote in Michigan, is not legally entitled to hijack the will of voters and drag them into an arduous and expensive publicity stunt. Jill Stein’s 1% temper tantrum cost Michigan taxpayers millions of dollars and would have cost them additional millions of dollars if not for the actions of President-Elect Trump, the Michigan Republican Party, and Attorney General Bill Schuette.”
But this does not mean the legal battle is over. Stein's lawyers released a statement saying its team will take this case to the Michigan Supreme Court and, "But make no mistake, we are not backing down from this fight -- a fight to protect the hard-fought, hard-won civil and voting rights of all Americans. Our campaign will seek immediate relief in Michigan's Supreme Court to ensure the recount that is already underway in all Michigan counties continues. With so many irregularities in Michigan -- including more than 75,000 under-votes, many in urban areas, and widespread carelessness, and perhaps interference, with preserving ballots -- there is a real possibility the rights of voters in Michigan may have been suppressed during this election. We need this recount to ensure the fairness, accuracy and integrity of the vote."
The State Board of Canvassers voted to halt the recount if the judge ruled against it before the board adjourned Wednesday.
