Palm Beach County Canvassing Board v. Harris
Supreme Court of Florida
772 So.2d 1220 (2000)
Relevant factsFree
After the 2000 presidential election produced a narrow margin in Florida, several counties, including Palm Beach and Volusia (plaintiffs), sought manual recounts, but Secretary of State Harris (defendant) determined that state law required rejecting any returns submitted after a statutory seven-day deadline; the trial court found the deadline mandatory but held Harris had discretion to accept late returns anyway, and when Harris refused to exercise that discretion, Gore and the Florida Democratic Party sued to compel acceptance, and the Florida Supreme Court took an expedited appeal.
IssueFree
Whether courts will defer to an agency interpretation of a statute that is contrary to law.
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