DENIED: Federal Court Rejects TRO Requested Against Commission on Election Integrity

Breaking News: The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia refuses to grant a temporary restraining order (TRO) to delay the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity's opening meeting, which is scheduled for tomorrow.

A federal judge on Tuesday denied a lawsuit’s request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in order to force more transparency on the White House’s “election integrity” commission . . . The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed the lawsuit on July 10, arguing that the commission, chaired by Vice President Mike Pence and vice chaired by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, had violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act [FACA], a transparency statute that Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said “is likely unfamiliar to even seasoned legal practitioners.”  

The Lawyers’ Committee argued that the election commission was required to open up its first in-person meeting, on July 19, to in-person public attendance, and that the commission needed to make additional documentation prior to that meeting, including records related to a June 28 phone call, available to the public.  

In her opinion Tuesday [available in its entirety here], Kollar-Kotelly pointed to a notice printed in the Federal Register on July 5 and said it outlined sufficient public accountability measures, at least for now. . . .  

[The Memorandum delivered by Judge Kollar-Kotelly] added later: “Moreover, the public will be permitted to view the meeting, to submit written comments, and to provide oral comments at subsequent meetings. There may be other documents that could, in theory, further facilitate this public debate, but based on the information presently available, it appears that the principal documents have or will be disclosed, and that the public and Plaintiff will have a substantial opportunity to debate and provide input with respect to the work of the Commission.”

Contrary to the redundant talking points of the left, the Commission is actually operating openly and transparently to allow the public to see its formation, discussions, and the work of the Commission. Furthermore, this bipartisan Commission is not being formed with any "preconceived conclusions" as guiding stars, rather it is open to assessing the true nature of America's election process and working to ensure election integrity.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, July 19, 2017 at 11 AM EST marks the opening meeting of the Commission on Election Integrity in Washington, D.C. The agenda has been released to the public. The meeting will be broadcasted live online here and likely elsewhere (C-SPAN, cable news, etc.), too.