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Bush Asks US Supreme Court to Block Hand Recounts
US Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush on Friday night formally asked the US Supreme Court to block hand recounts of disputed ballots in Florida until the court acts on Bush's appeal.
Bush's lawyers, in a filing with the US Supreme Court, said the electoral process would suffer "material harm" if the Florida Supreme Court ruling stands.
Bush requested a temporary delay, or stay, in implementing the Florida court's ruling that ordered hand recounts to begin immediately in the state's contested presidential election.
The filing said a stay is justified by the "extraordinary importance of the outcome of this case and the extremely time- sensitive nature."
A delay "is the only means of protecting the integrity of the federal electoral process while ensuring proper and orderly access to the judicial system," the filing said.
The filing reached the US Supreme Court about five hours after the Florida Supreme Court handed Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore a big victory by ordering immediate hand recounts of ballots in Florida.
Bush's lawyers said they will file a separate appeal with the US Supreme Court within 24 hours.
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