League of Women Voters Wins Extension of Voter Registration Deadline in Florida

Working with the Brennan Center for Justice on behalf of our client the League of Women Voters, Paul, Weiss won a preliminary injunction directing the State of Florida to extend its voter registration deadline in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. Governor Rick Scott refused to extend the deadline beyond October 11, despite the fact that an estimated 100,000 residents were unable to register because they were ordered to evacuate their homes, elections offices were closed and postal service was suspended. Federal Judge Mark Walker of the Northern District of Florida ruled on October 12 that as a result of the state's "wholly irrational" refusal to extend the deadline, Florida's aspiring "voters are stripped of one of our most precious freedoms." The court ordered that residents of Florida have until October 18 to register to vote, concluding: "Hopefully it is not lost on anyone that the right to have a voice is why this great country exists in the first place."

The Paul, Weiss team was led by litigation partner Robert Atkins and counsel Farrah Berse, with associates Erin Elmouji, Kaveri Vaid, Ned Babbitt, Stephen Speirs, Tamar Holoshitz and Annie O'Toole.