THE POLLS ARE OPEN - ELECTION CENTRAL - COUNTY COURT - RUNOFF

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

ELECTION CENTRAL - COUNTY COURT - RUNOFF

The polls open today for EARLY VOTING. Over the next 14 days, you can cast your ballot at any of the 33 locations open daily from 7am until 7pm. To find a polling location, you can go to this link.  If you pass on this opportunity, you must have ordered your Absentee ballot from the Department of Elections, or, you will need to show up to your own precinct on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, 2024.

The only judicial race facing voters in Miami-Dade County is a runoff in County Court.

Group 29 (Judge Myriam Lehr retiring)

Christopher Benjamin v. Alina Salcines Restrepo

In the August primary, this was a three-person race. Christopher Benjamin received the most votes garnering 98,108 (39%) of the 253,299 votes cast. Alina Salcines Restrepo received 91,044 (36%). Former Judge Scott Janowitz was eliminated from the three-person race after collecting 64,147 (25%).

Christopher Benjamin has been a member of The Florida Bar for 22 years. He is Of Counsel with International Law Partners, LLP., and a panelist with the ADR firm of Salmon & Dulberg. He works in the areas of general litigation and serves as an arbitrator, mediator, and special magistrate. He has been a certified mediator and arbitrator for 15 years and in 2010 he was appointed as a Hearing Officer in the 11th Judicial Circuit’s Traffic Division where he served until 2020. In 2020 (and again in 2022), he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives to represent the people of  District 107.

Benjamin has raised $111,096. Benjamin did not loan his campaign any money. Of note, in his Financial Disclosure, Benjamin lists his Net Worth at NEGATIVE -$292,937.

Alina Salcines Restrepo has been a member of The Florida Bar for 24 years. She has worked in a law firm with her brother who is also a lawyer and she has been a solo practitioner as well. She concentrates her practice in the areas of real estate, probate, criminal, civil, traffic, estate planning, and bankruptcy law.

Salcines Restrepo has raised only $35,014, but she has added $40,000 to her campaign in the form of a loan. She lists her Net Worth at $1,170,733.

The winner earns a six-year term and an annual salary of $186,034.

IN OTHER ELECTION NEWS .....

It looks like a dead heat heading into the final two weeks of the presidential campaign. Seven states will decide the election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada are the only states polling too close to call. In Florida, Rick Scott continues to hold a healthy lead in the polls over his opponent, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. 

What are your predictions on the outcome of the Presidential race? Regardless of who is declared the winner, will there be endless court battles in some of these key states? Will any of those cases end up before SCOTUS?

CAPTAIN OUT .......

Captain4Justice@gmail.com

TRUMP FINE...NATION NOT

 We will give him this...his actions after his ear was hit by unfriendly fire were           Reagan-esque. Although The Gipper walked into the ER with a bullet in his chest quipping to Nancy "Honey I forgot to duck" and telling his ER surgeons "All in all I'd rather be in Philadelphia" , while 45 whined that he didn't want to leave his Buster Browns behind. And isn't that going to be the real conspiracy theory to come out of all of this- what was he doing speaking with his shoes off? 

Let's examine for a moment the issue of an assassin getting withing 300 yards of a former president, on a roof, with an AR 15. Putting aside that the secret service missed the man aiming a gun at the former president, wasn't 45's solution to school shootings to arm teachers? 

So if Donny Boy had a Sig 45 strapped to his waist, and if, as any MAGA moron will tell you, the right of Americans to own an assault rifle is in the bible  "And it shall come to pass that in the land between the waters they shall be armed with AR 15's sayeth the lord, and neigh shall anyone take them from them." Numbers, 21;3, then what pray tell would that gun have done if Lee Harvey 2.0's bullet had traveled a few millimeters to the right? Nothing. 45's head would have been blown off on television, making him a MAGA martyr, and Joe Biden, who clearly has Parkinson's disease,  (masked face, stilted gate, arms don't move when he walks, slow blin rate, jumbled speech...) would have moved back ahead in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia- three states he needs to win. 

Guns don't kill people, they just shoot their ears off. Duh. 

Where have you gone Abraham Zapruder, our troubled nation turns its weary eyes to you. 

No election should be decided by an assassin's bullet. We are glad he missed.  And listen closely when we tell you this folks, this is just the beginning of what is going to be the wildest presidential election yet.  

This race is far from over. 

Tis a long road that has no turns.

And now, because only his wittle bitty ear wuz hurt, some presidential assassination trivia. 

Name the last two presidential candidates to be shot before the conventions. Hint- one was a democrat, and one was a nut job. 

From whence did the expression "His name is Mud" come from? 

Miami was the scene of the attempted assassination of what president? 

Out of which assassination did the only female ever to swear in a president arise? 

This sitting president was attacked twice with guns within two weeks. 

These two presidents are linked because President 1's secretary had the same sur name as President 2, and President 2's secretary had the same sur name as President 1, and both presidents were assassinated one hundred years apart.

Which former president was shot in the chest while giving a speech and did not seek medical attention until he finished his speech? 

This president was shot at a Washington DC railroad station in July and died in September. Name the president and his assassin. 

When Lincoln passed, his Secretary of War Edward Stanton was reported to have said 
"Now he belongs to ___ _____". 

Leon F. Czolgosz, a man in desperate need of more vowels, shot this President on September 6. The President died on September 16. Czolgosz was prosecuted by Michael Von Zamft, (Who had some of the vowels Leon needed) and after discovery was quickly turned over, executed on October 29 of the same year after being found guilty. 

That's it, and thank you for playing Presidental Assassination Trivia.  

GEORGIA PEACH

 Donald Trump has been indicted in Georgia along with all your favouite election denier friends including Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Esq., Mark Meadows (former chief of staff), Jeffrey Clark (former Justice Department Official), Jenna Ellis (former Colorado ticket lawyer-really), and everyone's batshit crazy lawyer Sydney Powell, Esq.

We have the indictment below. 

They are drinking bourbon tonight at the Georgia criminal defense bar! Yee haa!  Drinks on them as they all got themselves a buncha new clients. 

The charges include a RICO violation, a buncha conspiracy charges y'all for a whole bunch of stuff but not, as had been speculated, "whistlin dixie in the dark." 

More to come. 

And now, coming at ya, one of the greatest songs of the 1970s, Vicki Lawrence, and from 1973 That's The Night That The Lights Went Out In Georgia ("that's the night that they hung an innocent man. Don't trust your soul to no backwoods southern lawyer, cause the Judge in the town's got blood stains on his hands..." )

Can there be any better advice to the former President than "don't trust your soul to no backwoods southern lawyer.."?

Indictment Georgia by Anonymous PbHV4H on Scribd

JUST ANOTHER LAWSUIT IN THE SDNY

 There are at last count, exactly eleven law firms in South Florida not involved in any of the prior president's civil or criminal litigation.

Have you been exposed to asbestos? Do you have mesothelioma? Then former President Trump wants you to file a lawsuit on his behalf. 

Have you taken Viagra and had an erection last more than four hours ? (Would twere that it ...never mind). Then former President Trump wants you to file a lawsuit on his behalf. 

Have you ever voted for someone who lost? Then you have had an election stolen from you and former President Trump wants you to file a lawsuit on his behalf? 

The President Trump Traffic Ticket Defense Team "No Pago that ticket! Fight Nancy Pelosi and the cop who caught you speeding now!"

Asbestos; Cancer; DUI; First Party Insurance Defense; Slip and Fall -we do it all.   Just call (202) 456-1414 and ask for Donnie. 

(If Donnie isn't available- this is our second choice)

Trump v. Cohen, submitted for your consideration.  Filings are up 27% in the SDFL because of you know who. 

gov.uscourts.flsd.645291.1.0_1 by Anonymous PbHV4H on Scribd

MIAMI GRAND JURY UNSEALS TRUMP INDICTMENT!

 Like a shark circling in the blue depths underneath its target, the Miami Grand Jury sprung into action on Saturday April 1, 2023, unleashing a string of charges against the embattled former president. 

Stemming from it’s investigation of the Trump Doral Hotel properties, the grand jury charged Trump with hotel fraud, PGA fraud, food fraud and fraud fraud.

“The hotel has engaged in a pattern of overcharging, especially with visitors from Dubai” said the Miami Dade State attorney whose office led the investigation. “Eighteen thousand for a standard room, four hundred dollars for a plate of eggs is just not outrageous but it’s hotel fraud, motel fraud, and Holiday Inn fraud “ the State attorney said, lapsing momentarily into the lyrics of an old rap song. 

“There is also golf fraud” the State Attorney charged. “Par fours expanded into par fives just to help the former president get a birdie is intolerable in South Florida where cheating in golf ended with Jackie Gleason and some late former county court judges. Par is par” said the state attorney to a raucous crowd of golfers clad in plaid. 

“And finally there is food fraud. Steaks listed as 14 ounces are actually 12. We love a good steak in South Florida and people are entitled to the steak they pay for.” 

Asked about the possible outcomes of the case or whether there would be plea, the state attorney squared her shoulders and stared directly into the cameras “The Victim Wants The Max!” 

After the indictment was unsealed, there was no comment on when the arraignment would be held, or whether the former president’s case would be assigned to a judge who takes lawyers out of turn for arraignments. 

IMPEACHED

At about 8:25 PM on Wednesday December 18 2019, Donald J Trump, the forty-fifth President of the United States became the third President of the United States to be impeached by Congress. 

A few thoughts:


“Never do an enemy a small injury”

Machiavelli, The Prince. 

The Democrats are ignoring this lesson to their own peril. 

"Be careful what you ask for in life, you may get it."
Now that the President has been impeached, the worst is behind him. This date most likely marks the nadir of the Trump Presidency. It doesn't feel like a low point for the President, does it? It doesn't feel like a victory for the Democrats does it? 

This moment will be marked and debated and raised by both sides right through election day in November, 2019.  The voters will decide, but we cannot help but feel that this is net-positive for the President. 

Item: The RNC and Trump reelection campaign raised over ten million dollars from small donor contributions within the last week. 

Prediction: Two of the next three presidents will be impeached. Impeachment has been cheapened and will become a political tool for the party controlling Congress when a President from the other party occupies the White House.  Abuse of power is such a nebulous and flexible concept that it will be applied as the measuring stick for the next twenty years against Presidents, and when the other party controls Congress, few will measure up. 


We will update this as further thoughts strike us throughout the evening and tomorrow. 

TRUMP & MERKEL

We've obtained the transcript of the private meeting between Chancellor Merkel and President Trump. Conversations in italics are in German, between Merkel and her translator. 

DJT: Welcome Madame Chancellor. 
AM: Thank you. 
DJT: I know you have an election coming up, may I give you some advice?
AM: Certainly. 
DJT: Hire your own crowd counters at the inauguration.  Have them all carry those clicker things. Get your own count. Your opponents will use the crowd size against you. I had the biggest crowd in the history of the world, and yet...
AM-Int: He's mad. 
Int: Steady Madam.
DJT: You owe us money for NATO. You can pay in those German Marks.
AM: Mr. President, we use the Euro now. 
DJT: I've been thinking about using nuclear weapons. We've paid for them. Why not use them? When President Eisenhower ordered General Patton to nuke those German cities, it was tough at the time, but you made it back. I'm told you have the biggest economy in Europe. 
Aide: Mr. President, the Vice President is on the phone. 
DJT: Tell him to call back later. As I was saying, we don't win anymore. And nukes will win for us.
AM-Int: How could the Americans have done this? This man is crazy, and stupid. Nobody can take him seriously. 
DJT: Speaking of winning, We're going to ban all BMWs made in Mexico. I'm sorry about this, but it has to be done. 
AM: We don't make BMWs in Mexico.
DJT: Of course you do. I saw it on Fox News last night. Plus, the tapes show you are. The tapes of you on the phone....hahaha that's just a joke. Obama stopped taping you when he started taping me. 
Aide: Speaker Ryan is on the phone with a health care issue. It's urgent. 
DJT: NOT NOW! Listen, I'm thinking that the way to solve this NATO thing is to have us move our armies to the south and east. Face off against the French. You know how they are. Not trustworthy. 
AM: But to our west?
DJT: Putin has you covered. He's thinking of setting up a buffer zone in Poland. Protect you from the west and Russia from the east, and it will cost a whole lot less. Problem solved. My guy Jared actually thought of it. After he met with Putin last week. 
AM-Int: It's the Hitler-Stalin pact all over again. This nut wants us to divide the Poles...again! I won't be a part of this. Tell him I'm not feeling well. I have to get away from this madman. 
DJT: Here's the people you need to worry about. The British. And the English too.  That James Bond stuff is real. Fox News says Obama can leave a small pen in the room and whamo! they can record everything. It gets sent by telegraph and satellite to the Australians.. by the way didn't you invade Australia in world war two? Big mistake leaving. Tremendous mistake...
AM-Int: He doesn't know the difference between Austria and Australia, I don't know what to do here.
Aide: Mr. Putin on the phone for you Mr. President.
DJT (jumping up) I need to take this. Be right back. ..Mr. Putin....yes...she's here...told her about Poland...loved it...thought it was a tremendous idea....yes....and yes sir....and yes, right away....yup...he did tape me....fake news...yes...I saw it ....yes....yes....anything you say big guy....

SO- CALLED APPELLATE COURT AFFIRMS SO-CALLED JUDGE

This is why we celebrated the Trump win. The spectre of constitutional crises every day.

Thursday evening the 9th Circuit court of appeals ("Dude...affirmed!") affirmed the order of the District Court Judge.

The constitutional crisis in the Nixon administration started with the Saturday night massacre, and ended six months later when the Supreme Court upheld the district court judge's order requiring the white house to produce the tapes.  Nixon resigned in August 1974 and Gerald Ford declared "our long national nightmare over." (Over/under on Pence saying that is November, 2018).

In May, 1861, two months into office, President Lincoln suspended the great writ of habeas corpus and then defied the US Supreme Court. As Judge Hirsch has probably recounted dozens of times to dazed young PDs and ASAs,  John Merryman, a State Legislator from Maryland was arrested for hindering the movement of Union Troops.  Merryman was held at Fort McHenry. His lawyer (not Sy Gaer) filed a for a writ of habeas corpus to bring the body of the defendant to a district court. Lincoln issued an executive order (well before Trump ever did) that suspended the right for the great writ of habeas corpus on military bases. The commander of the fort followed the order of his commander in chief and refused to deliver Merryman.

US Supreme Court Chief Judge Roger Taney paused briefly in his penning the Dred Scott decision to rule that Lincoln did not have the authority to issue an order suspending habeas corpus. Lincoln sat tight. He didn't respond. He didn't reply. And he didn't order Merryman released, and we had our first constitutional crises.

We are a blogger of the people. We don't mingle with hoi polloi, but we sometimes visit and observe. And Thursday night was an exercise in the people's version of constitutional law. We sat transfixed, nursing a cheap (for us) Cabernet while a twenty-something SoBe bartender with rings in her nose, lips and ears, and a sleeve of tattoos not covered by a revealing tight black tank-top  lectured us about standing, the 9th circuit, and that their order had no basis in the establishment clause of the first amendment. Fascinating.

We wrote- what seems like an eternity ago- that Article III judges were all that stood between our president and a dictatorship. While we disagree with the 9th circuit's analysis, we are proud to live in a country where a Judge can tell a president "NO" and No means No -Lincoln and Taney not withstanding.

Lincoln refused Taney's order two months into his presidency while struggling to deal with a rebellious Maryland border state. Not to be outdone, 45 has provoked a crisis less than thirty days into office while struggling to deal with a rebellious white house staff. 

Here's the order from the 9th.

Washington v Trump (9th COA Opinion on Stay) by Anonymous espiON9E on Scribd

From Occupied America...fight the power.

SIZE MATTERS

The honourable United States District Judge Federico Moreno (and REGJB alumunus)  saw fit to comment about our comment about George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President of the United States: 

 Fred Moreno said...

Rumpole, whomever you are, I have only commented once before in your blog when Judge Richard Hickey died. Now, I could not resist complimenting you on the description of President Bush 41 as a real American hero. I forwarded your remarks to former Governor Jeb Bush and he emailed me to "please thank the blogger for the kind words about my dad." FAM

Dear Judge Moreno:

Thank you for reading the blog. 

Your efforts are appreciated. 

As to Jeb Bush, your email is appreciated, but just between us- our former governor knows how we feel about his dad. 

SIZE MATTERS

Apparently, size matters to the 45th president of the United States. Size of the crowds, size of his hands, how many times he has been on the cover of Time magazine. 

When the 45th president of the United States stood in front of the wall of stars and heroes at the CIA and grandiosely and cavalierly spoke about the greatness of his speech and the size of his crowds, and made scant reference to the heroes who died without personal recognition in the service of their country- and one of those stars represents a former Miami Assistant Public Defender who joined the clandestine service- we cringed. Anyone with a sense of history and honor and service and dignity cringed. 

The next four years will be cringe worthy indeed. Buckle up. 

See you in court. 

DARKNESS DESCENDS

This is how it begins. With a curtain of legitimacy. After months of crude bullying and threats to destroy and jail his opponents, there is a win, and then an appeal to legitimacy. "I'm ok. I belong. All is forgiven as long as I get my way and lead."

The ascent to power comes by an appeal to racism, sexism, nativism, and anti-intellectualism. "It is the foreigners who cause our problems. I will fix it by getting rid of them and banning them."

 Scientists and intellectuals are out to get you. 

Salvation is offered only through the specific virtues of the leader, the winner, the Fuhrer. "Only I can fix it. Only I can make you safe from the foreigners trying to kill you. Not the army or the Generals. Just me." 

"I know more about our enemies than the generals. Only I can make you safe."

"Lebensraum" is the desire for living space for the German race that the foreigners (Poles and Slavs) took in previous wars. 

"I will build a wall and Mexico will pay for it."

The Treaty of Versailles crippled the German people. They cannot earn a living.  "Give me the power and only I can fix it. I will break the treaty that destroyed our country." 

NAFTA and TPP are taking away American Jobs. 
"Give me the power and I can fix it. I will break NAFTA. I will cancel TPP. I will withdraw our country from the Paris Global Warming Accords."

"Jews are engaged in a conspiracy to destroy our country. They should be rounded up. They've stolen our jobs and wrecked our economy."

"Muslims need to be banned. They are dangerous. Muslims are engaged in a conspiracy to destroy us. Foreigners are stealing your jobs. I will round up and deport ten million illegals who are murderers and rapists."

"I've given you the answers in my best selling book Mein Kampf."

"I've written a best selling book telling you how to succeed like me. The Art of the Deal." 

January 1933: Hitler elected to Chancellorship. 

February 1933:The Reichstag is set on fire by a bomb planted on orders of Hitler. Hitler blames foreigners. The Jews and the Communists. 

March 1933: Facing a crisis of national security, the (the bombing of the Reichstag) the Reichstag passes "The Enabling Act" allowing the Fuhrer to issue laws without the consent of the Reichstag (Parliament) to protect the people.

Kristallnacht November 9-10, 1938: 78 years ago this week, the mob errupts, egged on by Hitler and his party over a thousand Jews are killed, their businesses looted and destroyed  (Kristallnacht refers to all of the broken glass in the streets from the windows of Jewish businesses looted). 

2016: Crowds, egged on by their leader, chant "Lock her up" Rudy Gulliani-  candidate for attorney general- gives an interview the day after the election indicating that he will seek the indictment and prosecution of his leader's political opponent. Winning is not enough. 

Books were burned. 

Our President Elect was overwhelmingly supported by people without college educations. 

Anti-intellectualism: the hatred of those who are learned and smart thrives. Scientists are scorned. Professionals are blamed for the problems of the mob. 

Education is scorned. The mob has the power. 

This is how darkness descends upon a society and the world. 

Those who ignore the lessons of history and condemned to repeat them. 

Make no mistake about this. America will pay for it's choice this week. Greatness is not bestowed. It is earned every day. There is no such thing as  American Exceptionalism without exceptional Americans. 

There are exceptional Americans who, by virtue of their work made America Exceptional. Martin Luther King. Bobby Kennedy. Teddy Roosevelt. Woodrow Wilson. Abraham Lincoln. John Adams. Thomas Jefferson. Dwight Eisenhower. Ulysses Grant.  Steve Jobs. Bill Gates. Henry Ford.  Every American who landed at Normandy. Every American who fought in the Ardennes forest during those freezing cold weeks in December, 1944. Paratroopers wearing summer uniforms, dug into the snow, stopping German tanks. 

Thurgood Marshall. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. John Kennedy who quoted poetry to Americans. Joe Louis and Jackie Roosevelt Robinson and Muhammad Ali and Rosa Parks. 

These are the people from whom American Exceptionalism sprang. 

Darkness descends when the mob rules. 

Darkness has descended upon our country. 

Where will you be when your neighbors are rounded up and deported? 

What will you do when our President's opponents are prosecuted? 

Will you speak up when our wives and daughters and our disabled friends are mocked and harassed and shamed and shunned? 

The world is watching and history will judge. 

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Martin Luther King

ELECTION RESULTS 2016 ..... Can Somebody Please Explain the Electoral College to me

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

ELECTION DAY 2016 ...............

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES .......

DONALD TRUMP ELECTED

AS THE 45TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

Historic, unprecedented, shocking, and clearly the biggest upset in American political history.  Nobody could ever have seen this moment coming when Trump announced his run for the presidency 17 months ago.  In an historic year, (with the Cubs winning the World Series), it should have come as no great surprise, that a person never to have held elected office, and whose claim to fame was "acting" as the host of a TV show called "The Apprentice" was elected as our next President.  For many decades to come, political scientists will analyze and dissect every aspect of this election to figure out how and why Donald Trump won.

But we have a more important question:  What the hell is the Electoral College and why does it still exist? 

Picture this.  You are a tourist in a foreign country, say Paris, France.  You are sitting in a café and discussing the US election with your French waiter (who speaks fluent English).  He asks you the following question: "So, I understand that your election was recently decided and that Hillary Clinton received 59,814,018 votes and Donald Trump got 59,611,678 votes.  By my math, she garnered 202,340 more votes and she is your next President, No (that's how the French speak)? But I read in Le Monde (it's a French newspaper- ask Rumpole about it) that Donald Trump won the election.  How can tis be (think French accent)?

I'm curious, enlighten me on how you would explain to your friendly French waiter what the hell is going on in the greatest country in the world that claims to have the most successful democracy where your country was founded on the principal of "one man/person, one vote". 

This is the fifth time in America history, where the elected President will have received less popular votes than their opponent but enough electoral votes to win the presidency.

It happened in: 1876 (Rutherford B Hayes over Samuel Tilden - and boy was that a mess of an election); 1888 (Benjamin Harrison over President Grover Cleveland); famously in 2000 with Bush v. Gore; and now again in 2016.  In also happened in 1824 (John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson, but that election was decided in the House of Representatives under the provisions of the 12th Amendment).***

We thought about inviting Rumpole to debate His Honor Judge Milton Hirsch on this topic.  Maybe they can email each other and take a side and each post an argument on why we should or should not continue to decide our presidential elections by the Electoral vote instead of the popular vote.  Gentlemen, are you all in???

For now, we'll just ask our loyal and faithful Justice Building Blog readers to chime in on their arguments for and against the EC.  Have at it.

In other election news (winners in BLUE):

MIAMI-DADE CIRCUIT COURT

GROUP 34 RUNOFF

Mark Blumstein v. Luis Perez-Medina
393,437 ..................   375,531

GROUP 52 RUNOFF

Carol "Jodie" Breece v. Oscar Rodriguez-Fonts
372,480 ..........................  376,551


NORTH OF THE BORDER .....

Circuit Court Group 15 Runoff

Barbara Duffy v Miami Dade ASA Abbe Rifkin
356,839 ..................................  232,254

SOUTH OF THE BORDER .....

In Monroe County, former Miami-Dade ASA Catherine "Cathy" Vogel, who was elected to the job of State Attorney for the 16th Judicial Circuit four year ago, lost her job to the man she beat in 2012, Dennis Ward.  Final totals: 20,525 - 19,173.

***The Twelfth Amendment requires the House of Representatives to immediately go into session to vote for president if no candidate for president receives a majority of the electoral votes (since 1964, 270 of the 538 electoral votes). In this event, the House of Representatives is limited to choosing from among the three candidates who received the most electoral votes for president. Each state delegation votes en bloc – each delegation having a single vote; the District of Columbia does not receive a vote. A candidate must receive an absolute majority of state delegation votes (i.e., at present, a minimum of 26 votes) in order for that candidate to become the President-elect. Additionally, delegations from at least two-thirds of all the states must be present for voting to take place. The House continues balloting until it elects a president.

The House of Representatives has chosen the president only twice: in 1801 under Article II, Section 1, Clause 3 and in 1825 under the Twelfth Amendment. (In the election of 1800, candidates Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr each ended up with 73 electoral votes). (In the election of 1824, none of the four candidates for President received a majority of the electoral votes. This election is the only time since the passage of the 12^th amendment that the House of Representatives decided the outcome. Andrew Jackson 99 and John Quincy Adams 84 were the top two vote-getters with Adams getting the nod from the House).


CAPTAIN OUT .......
Captain4Justice@gmail.com