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Florida Supreme Court Rejects Gore's Request for Immediate Recount
The US Florida Supreme Court dismissed December 1 Al Gore's request for immediate hand recount of disputed ballots in the state, dealing a legal blow to the Democratic presidential candidate.
"The petition... has been considered by the court. The petition is dismissed without prejudice," court spokesman Craig Waters announced outside the court building.
By rejecting Gore's request, the Florida Supreme Court refused to intervene in a formal trial-like proceeding in the Leon County Circuit Court.
Gore's lawyers appealed to the state high court Thursday after Judge N. Sanders Sauls of the circuit court refused to order an immediate recount of the 14,000 disputed ballots from Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.
Sauls set a hearing Saturday and ordered that all the 1.1 million ballots in the two counties be transferred to Florida's state capital of Tallahassee by Friday.
Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush was certified the winner of Florida's presidential election by 537 votes last Sunday by Secretary of State Katherine Harris.
Gore swiftly filed legal papers with the Leon County Circuit Court in Tallahassee contesting the certification.
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