A federal judge has stopped the hand recount of nearly 5 million ballots in Michigan just days after ordering it to begin.
U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith, whose Monday decision began the recount in the state, sided with a state appeals court Wednesday in halting the effort, ABC News reported.
Green Party candidate Jill Stein had petitioned for a recount. But Tuesday, Michigan appeals court ruled that she should not have been allowed to demand a recount because she is not an “aggrieved candidate.” Goldsmith, after hearing arguments from the state Republican Party and GOP attorney general, agreed.
“Because there is no basis for this court to ignore the Michigan court’s ruling and make an independent judgment regarding what the Michigan Legislature intended by the term ‘aggrieved,’ plaintiffs have not shown an entitlement to a recount,” Goldsmith said of Stein and allies.
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