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US Supreme Court Overturns Florida High Court Hand Count Ruling
The US Supreme Court Monday, December 4, overturned the Florida Supreme Court decision extending the deadline for certifying the presidential election.
The unsigned decision sets aside the Florida rulings and means Bush's lead stands while Democrat Al Gore pursues more votes in a state court contest he hopes will put him over the top.
"After reviewing the opinion of the Florida Supreme Court, we find that there is considerable uncertainty as to the precise grounds for the decision," the court wrote.
The nation's high court said it was unclear about certain key points of the Florida Supreme Court ruling at issue and sent the case back to the state high court for further proceedings.
The Florida Supreme Court ruling, opposed by Bush and supported by Gore, extended the deadline for certifying the election results by 12 days until November 26 so hand-counted votes could be included in the final tally.
Both Gore and Bush need Florida's 25 electoral votes to win the presidency. On November 26, state officials declared Bush the winner in Florida by 537 votes of 6 million cast in the November 7 election.
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