**Breaking**Postal Service Changes to draw legal action from at least 20 States Attorneys General

[hlthe2b]

At least 20 states plan to sue the U.S. Postal Service over service delays, threat to election

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/at-least-20-states-plan-to-sue-the-us-postal-service-over-service-delays-threat-to-election/2020/08/18/c6ca2dc6-e166-11ea-b69b-64f7b0477ed4_story.html?tidr=a_breakingnews&hpid=hp_no-name_hp-breaking-news%3Apage%2Fbreaking-news-bar

At least 20 states plan to file lawsuits this week against the U.S. Postal Service and its new postmaster, Louis DeJoy, seeking to reverse service changes that have prompted widespread reports of delays and accusations of an intentional effort to thwart voters from mailing their ballots this fall.

The suits, expected to be filed in federal court imminently, will argue that the Postal Service broke the law by making operational changes without first seeking approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission. They will also argue that the changes will impede states’ ability to run “free and fair elections,” officials from several state attorney general offices told The Washington Post.
--snip--
Maryland is signing onto a suit led by Washington state, which is expected to be filed at 2 p.m. Tuesday, and also includes Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin, according to a draft of the suit obtained by The Washington Post.

Separately, Pennsylvania is filing another suit, joined by California, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts and North Carolina, among others.

All the states are represented by Democratic attorneys general.
--snip--
Shapiro and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson were scheduled to announce the lawsuits Tuesday afternoon. New York Attorney General Letitia James planned separate legal action, a spokesman said Tuesday.

Pennsylvania’s suit was expected to be filed “imminently,” the Shapiro adviser said.

[soothsayer]

1. Go go go!

[hlthe2b]

2. I'm glad to see Letitia James is doing a separate suit... The more angles, the better.

[hlthe2b]

3. Going after the Voting Rights Violations in addition

Last edited Tue Aug 18, 2020, 01:49 PM - Edit history (1)

“States have the right to conduct mail-in elections if they choose,” Frosh said. “Trump is trying to undermine that.”

Frosh said the operational changes are also a violation of the Voting Rights Act, saying the sorting machine removal disproportionately impacts cities, which tend to be home to minorities. The lawsuit also contends violations of the Americans with Disability Act by making it more difficult for people with physical disabilities and health conditions to safely cast a ballot.

[dalton99a]

4. Excellent.

[crickets]

10. Good! DeJoy is claiming he'll halt all of the USPS changes for now,

but he needs to restore the capacity the USPS had before he wrecked it. The loss of those sorting machines needs to be addressed before the election. He can't be allowed to just walk away from that.

[Locrian]

15. indeed - a lot of damage has been (permanently) done! - nt

[DSandra]

5. Cuckoo Don: "laws are for losers"

Totally the Criminal in Chief

[hlthe2b]

6. McQuade: "Obstructing mail is federal offense, but who's going to prosecute Trump's PMG? THE STATES

thats who! Some on STATE charges that can't be pardoned... Even better.

Link to tweet

[SheltieLover]

7. 👏👏👏👏👏

Go go go!

[ananda]

8. And conspicuous by its absence is, of course..

the great state of Texas, land of equal opportunity
sickness and death... and general dumbfuckery.

[hlthe2b]

12. Only Dem AGs give a damn, apparently.

[ananda]

35. Damn right!

Yep

[hlthe2b]

9. Despite DeJoy's BS claims he's backing off (which I don't believe for moment), AG's need to go ahead

and further they should be involved in Pelosi/Schumer's discussions. A full inventory of all removed sorters and other property is a MUST. AG's need to document and take affidavits from employees at facilities from which they were removed and if these expensive sorters were destroyed, file against the destruction of property.

[crickets]

11. 👆 This!

[hlthe2b]

13. Why this is so important: "Democrats (COngress) Don't Have Many Tools To Protect The Postal Service

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/democrats-post-office-trump_n_5f3beda2c5b6b1015127e020

The biggest and most drastic strategy ― impeachment ― is an unlikely remedy, given that Election Day is only 77 days away and the GOP-held Senate, once again, will almost certainly let Trump do whatever he wants.

But Congress’ best tool ― the power of the purse ― is also complicated.

At issue is the cash-strapped Postal Service, which needs more government funding to sustain itself. But Trump doesn’t want to bail out the agency. He believes a functioning Postal Service would help Democrats win via mail-in ballots in November.

“They need that money in order to have the post office work,” Trump said last week on Fox Business, “so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots".

[BumRushDaShow]

14. Recent comments from PA's Governor (Wolf) and AG (Shapiro)

Link to tweet

TEXT

Governor Tom Wolf
@GovernorTomWolf
I’m on a call with @SenBobCasey and @PAAttorneyGen to demand action against the president's efforts to defund @USPS, which has played a critical role in delivering ballots for hundreds of years.

Cheap attempts to undercut this essential service are an assault to our democracy.
Governor Wolf, Senator Casey, and Attorney General Shapiro on a virtual call to discuss USPS funding.
2:24 PM · Aug 18, 2020

Link to tweet

TEXT

Josh Shapiro
@JoshShapiroPA
Recent post office changes have been implemented recklessly. We're taking action to reinstate Postal Service standards that all Americans depend on, whether it’s for delivering their prescription drugs or for carrying their very right to vote.
At least 20 states plan to sue the U.S. Postal Service over service delays, threat to election
The challenges come after reports of mail delays across the country following new procedures put into place by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
washingtonpost.com
1:13 PM · Aug 18, 2020

[neohippie]

17. the damage is done already

Link to tweet

7 sorting machines already removed from Charlotte NC there's more already gone all over the country

[BumRushDaShow]

32. DeJoy may find himself a sacrificial lamb

now that the deed is done. You know how that "distances himself from..." thing eventually goes...

[hlthe2b]

23. thanks for that update...

[triron]

16. My state NM is in there.

[bucolic_frolic]

18. Trump will have to pardon Benjamin Franklin

Wasn't he the one who created post roads and stamps?

[BumRushDaShow]

34. First Postmaster-General

(before and after the Revolution)

His later house was behind the colonial era post office building that used to be one of his earlier homes (that is still an operational post office - have been in there many times)

[gordianot]

19. So is he going to also do some dumpster diving.

There are already collection boxes and sorting machines. What exactly does this change?

[Tommymac]

21. Nothing. The Charges must be pursued to try and restore what can be salvaged.

90% of the work to derail mail in ballots in key areas is done...

Forcing people in those critical districts to vote in person on Putin validated machines.

[The Daily Irishman]

20. Mr Kirschner Elucidates:

[hlthe2b]

22. thanks for posting this

[littlemissmartypants]

27. Do you have a reference or some background on this person?

It wouldn't be good to get slammed for spamming the board your first week of posting. Do you have a reference?

❤lmsp

[hlthe2b]

28. LMSP: that is Glenn Kirschner-- a well respected former US Prosecutor and an MSNBC legal contributor

https://twitter.com/glennkirschner2?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Kirschner

[The Daily Irishman]

29. Glenn Kirschner?????

You're joking, right???

[littlemissmartypants]

31. Nope. Not joking. Maybe your post would be better content for the

Video and Multimedia Forum.

❤ lmsp

[riversedge]

24. AG's need to continue with the lawsuits even if LeJoy reverses himself. There must be consequenses

for disrupting Fed. mail service.

[OMGWTF]

25. WA state AG Bob Ferguson is a rock star! I was thrilled to vote for him again in the primary.

[mdbl]

26. Why is it only Democrats care about laws

and Republicans don't.

[oasis]

30. It seems GOP is okay with the attack on USPS. Wake up America. nt

[spanone]

33. republicans truly don't give a shit about 'America' do they?

[hlthe2b]

36. Good statement from Pelosi:

https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/81820-0


MENU
Pelosi Statement on Postal Announcement of Pause to Operational Changes Delaying the Mail
August 18, 2020
Press Release

San Francisco – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement after the Postmaster General announced a temporary pause in operational changes that are delaying the mail and threatening to disenfranchise voters:

“Postmaster General DeJoy’s announcement of what may be a temporary pause in operational changes delaying the mail is a necessary but insufficient first step in ending the President’s election sabotage campaign. This pause only halts a limited number of the Postmaster’s changes, does not reverse damage already done, and alone is not enough to ensure voters will not be disenfranchised by the President this fall.

“The House will be moving ahead with our vote this Saturday on Chairwoman Maloney’s ‘Delivering for America Act,’ which prohibits the Postal Service from implementing any changes to operations or level of service it had in place on January 1, 2020 and provides $25 billion in critical funding to support the Postal Service: the same level of funding recommended by the USPS Board of Governors, which is 100 percent composed of Trump appointees. We also will be demanding answers from the Postmaster General in his testimony next week.

“During a pandemic, the Postal Service is Election Central. No one should be forced to choose between their health and their vote.”

[DanieRains]

37. Notice How They Sue Them Instead Of Arresting Them

Being rich and powerful is cool....

[hlthe2b]

38. Civil action necessary first to gain a court injunction to try to stop what is in progress.

This legally preserves the "record" as well. Likewise buys time to complete a criminal investigation. No one is going to bring criminal charges against a Federal official without having first conducted a full investigation.