20210106111314445 Gohmert V Pence Stay Appl Signed.Pdf
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No. __A__________ In the Supreme Court of the United States LOUIE GOHMERT, TYLER BOWYER, NANCY COTTLE, JAKE HOFFMAN, ANTHONY KERN, JAMES R. LAMON, SAM MOORHEAD, ROBERT MONTGOMERY, LORAINE PELLEGRINO, GREG SAFSTEN, KELLI WARD AND MICHAEL WARD, Applicants, v. THE HONORABLE MICHAEL R. PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY. Respondent. EMERGENCY APPLICATION TO THE HONORABLE SAMUEL A. ALITO AS CIRCUIT JUSTICE FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT FOR ADMINISTRATIVE STAY AND INTERIM RELIEF PENDING RESOLUTION OF A TIMELY FILED PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI William L. Sessions Sidney Powell* Texas Bar No. 18041500 Texas Bar No. 16209700 SESSIONS & ASSOCIATES, PLLC SIDNEY POWELL, P.C. 14591 North Dallas Parkway, Suite 400 2911 Turtle Creek Blvd., Suite 1100 Dallas, TX 75254 Dallas, TX 72519 Tel: (214) 217-8855 Tel: (214) 628-9514 Fax: (214) 723-5346 Fax: (214) 628-9505 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Lawrence J. Joseph Howard Kleinhendler DC Bar #464777 NY Bar No. 2657120 LAW OFFICE OF LAWRENCE J. JOSEPH HOWARD KLEINHENDLER ESQUIRE 1250 Connecticut Av NW, Ste 700 369 Lexington Ave., 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 New York, New York 10017 Tel: (202) 355-9452 Tel: (917) 793-1188 Fax: (202) 318-2254 Fax: (732) 901-0832 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Counsel for Applicants * Counsel of Record PARTIES TO THE PROCEEDING Applicants (plaintiffs-appellants below) are U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-1), Tyler Bowyer, Nancy Cottle, Jake Hoffman, Anthony Kern, James R. Lamon, Sam Moorhead, Robert Montgomery, Loraine Pellegrino, Greg Safsten, Kelli Ward, and Michael Ward. Respondent (defendant-appellee below) is the Honorable Michael R. Pence, Vice President of the United States, in his official capacity. CORPORATE DISCLOSURE STATEMENT The applicants are natural persons with no parent corporation or stock RELATED PROCEEDINGS There are related proceedings in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit: • Gohmert v. Pence, No. 6:20-CV-00660-JDK (E.D. Tex.) (dismissed Jan. 1, 2021) • Gohmert v. Pence, No. 21-40001 (5th Cir.) (decided Jan. 2, 2021) i TABLE OF CONTENTS Parties to the Proceeding ............................................................................................... i Corporate Disclosure Statement .................................................................................... i Related Proceedings ........................................................................................................ i Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... ii Table of Authorities ....................................................................................................... v Appendix ...................................................................................................................... xii Introduction ................................................................................................................... 2 Rule 23.3 Poses No Bar to the Relief Requested .......................................................... 4 Standard of Review ........................................................................................................ 6 Constitutional and Legislative Background ................................................................. 7 The Vice Presidents of the Framers’ Generation Acted as Presiding Officers and Established Rules of Parliamentary Procedure ......................................................................... 7 Presidential Electoral Count Provisions .......................................................... 11 The Election of 1800 .......................................................................................... 11 Legislative History and Ratification ................................................................ 12 The Congress That Enacted 3 U.S.C. § 5 Recognized that It Required a Constitutional Amendment but Adopted the ECA as a Shortcut Because They did not Have the Votes ................... 13 History of Competing State Electoral Slates ................................................... 14 Binding Law, Congressional Rule, or Unreviewable Statement of Principle/Moral Obligation? ................................................................... 16 Applicants’ Requested Remedy Is Warranted ................................................. 18 Factual and Litigation Background ............................................................................ 20 Argument ..................................................................................................................... 25 ii I. The All Writs Act gives this Court jurisdiction to enter interim relief pending the timely filing of a petition for a writ of certiorari. ........................................................................................................... 25 II. Applicants have standing. ................................................................................ 27 A. Applicants have suffered an injury in fact. ........................................... 28 B. Applicants’ injuries are traceable to the Vice President. ..................... 31 C. Federal courts can redress Applicants’ injuries. ................................... 35 D. The procedural nature of Applicants’ injuries lowers the Article III bar for immediacy and redressability. ................................. 37 E. Courts must assume the plaintiff’s merits views to assess a plaintiff’s standing to sue. ................................................................... 39 F. The district court’s standing analysis erred in key respects. .................................................................................................. 41 1. Rep. Gohmert has standing. ........................................................ 41 2. The Arizona-Elector Applicants have standing. ......................... 42 III. Jurisdiction otherwise exists. ........................................................................... 43 A. Applicants otherwise raise an Article III case or controversy. ............................................................................................ 43 1. The parties do not seek the same relief. ..................................... 43 2. The political-question doctrine does not bar this action. ........................................................................................... 44 3. This action is not moot. ............................................................... 45 4. This action is ripe. ....................................................................... 45 B. Prudential limits on Article III jurisdiction do not apply. .................... 46 C. This action is otherwise within federal courts’ jurisdiction. ................ 48 1. The Speech or Debate Clause does not insulate the Vice President. ............................................................................. 48 iii 2. Sovereign immunity does not bar this action. ............................ 49 3. This case presents a federal question, and abstention principles do not apply. ............................................. 53 4. Applicants are entitled to an expedited declaratory judgment. ..................................................................................... 54 IV. The Winter factors favor entry of interim relief. .............................................. 60 A. Applicants have a substantial likelihood of success. ............................ 60 1. Unconstitutional laws are nullities. ........................................... 60 2. The Electoral Count Act violates the Electors Clause and the Twelfth Amendment. ......................................... 61 3. The Electoral Count Act violates the Constitution’s structural protections of liberty. ................................................. 62 4. The Necessary and Proper Clause does not save the Electoral Count Act. .................................................................... 64 5. The action is not barred by laches. ............................................. 67 B. Applicants will suffer irreparable injury. .............................................. 68 C. Applicants need not demonstrate irreparable harm for declaratory relief. ................................................................................... 69 D. The balance of equities favors Applicants. ............................................ 70 E. The public interest favors Applicants. ................................................... 70 Requested Relief .......................................................................................................... 71 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 72 iv TABLE OF AUTHORITIES CASES ACLU v. Ashcroft, 322 F.3d 240 (3d Cir. 2003) .......................................................... 71 Adar v. Smith, 639 F.3d 146 (5th Cir. 2011) (en banc) ......................................... 39-40 Allen v. Wright, 468 U.S. 737 (1984) ........................................................................... 43 Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186 (1962) .................................................................. 44-45, 53 Barefoot v. Estelle, 463 U.S. 880 (1983) ...................................................................... 72 Bd. of Miss. Levee Comm’rs v. EPA, 674 F.3d 409 (5th