No. 20-553 in the Supreme Court of the United
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No. 20-553 In the Supreme Court of the United States ________________ Pennsylvania Voters Alliance, Stephanie Borowicz, Kristine Eng, Theodore A. Dannerth, Eric Kroner, Eric Nelson, Daryl Metcalfe, Dawn Wetzel Keefer, Russ Diamond, Chris Dush, Jim Gregory, Francis Ryan, Michael Harvey, David Torres, Dasha Pruett, Applicants, v. Centre County, Delaware County, the City of Philadelphia, and Kathy Boockvar, in her official capacity as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Respondents ________________ To the Honorable Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court and Circuit Justice for the Third Circuit ________________ Emergency Application for an Injunction Pending Appellate Review ________________ Erick G. Kaardal, MN ID 229647 Thomas W. King, III, PA ID 21580 Special Counsel to the Amistad Project Thomas E. Breth, PA ID 66350 of the Thomas More Society Special Counsel to the Amistad Project Mohrman, Kaardal & Erickson, P.A. of Thomas More Society 150 South Fifth Street, Suite 3100 Dillon McCandless King Coulter & Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 Graham, LLP Telephone: 612-341-1074 128 West Cunningham Street Email: [email protected] Butler, PA 16001 Counsel of Record Telephone: (724) 283-2200 E-mail addresses: [email protected] [email protected], [email protected] [email protected] Attorneys for Applicants Pursuant to this Court’s Rule 22 and the All Writs Act, 28 U.S.C. 1651, the undersigned, on behalf of the Pennsylvania Voters Alliance and individual petitioner- members, respectfully apply for an injunction pending appellate review of the October 21, 2020 final decision dismissing the complaint, issued by the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, pending the consideration and disposition of the appeal from that final decision to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and, if necessary, pending the disposition of a pending petition for a writ of certiorari in case number 20-553, and any further proceedings in this Court. The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on October 28, 2020 denied a motion for injunction pending appeal. The requested injunction pending appeal would enjoin Respondents from using private federal election grants for the November 3 federal elections and require the Respondents to provide an immediate, itemized and verified accounting of the private moneys used to pay for the November 3 federal elections and the private moneys remaining on account for that purpose. CORPORATE DISCLOSURE STATEMENT Pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 29.6, Pennsylvania Voters Alliance, inclusive of all the Applicants, states that it is a non-stock, non-profit corporation, has no parent corporation, and is not a publicly held company. PARTIES TO THE PROCEEDING The applicants (plaintiffs-Appellants below) are Pennsylvania Voters Alliance, Stephanie Borowicz, Kristine Eng, Theodore A. Dannerth, Eric Kroner, Eric Nelson, i Daryl Metcalfe, Dawn Wetzel Keefer, Russ Diamond, Chris Dush, Jim Gregory, Francis Ryan, Michael Harvey, David Torres and Dasha Pruett. The respondents (defendant-Respondents below) are Centre County, Delaware County, the City of Philadelphia, and Kathy Boockvar, in her official capacity as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, LIST OF ALL PROCEEDINGS The related cases in this proceeding are: Pennsylvania Voters Alliance, et al. v. Centre County, et al., Middle District of Pennsylvania, case no. 20-cv-1761 (complaint filed Sept. 25, 2020) and the appeal filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, case no. 20-3175, on October 22, 2020. A table of related cases, including the ones arising out of Pennsylvania, is provided below. Complaint/ PI/TRO/Inj. Federal Case Appeal Pending Court Number Caption Title Filing App. Denial Pennsylvania Voters Compl. M.D. 20-cv- Alliance et al v. Centre dismissed Pennsylvania 1761 County et al 9/25/2020 10/21/2020 Third Circuit 20-3175 (same) 10/22/2020 10/28/2020 Wisconsin Voters E.D. 20-cv- Alliance et al v. City of 10/14/2020; Wisconsin 1487 Racine, et al. 9/24/2020 10/21/2020 Seventh Circuit 20-3002 (same) 10/15/2020 10/23/2020 Election Integrity Fund W.D. 20-cv- et al v. Lansing, City of 10/2/2020; Michigan 0950 et al 9/29/2020 10/19/2020 Sixth Circuit 20-2048 (same) 10/23/2020 Minnesota Voters D. 20-cv- Alliance et al v. City of Minnesota 2049 Minneapolis 9/24/2020 10/16/2020 ii Iowa Voter Alliance et 20-cv- al v. Black Hawk N.D. Iowa 2078 County et al 10/1/2020 10/20/2020 20-cv- Texas Voters Alliance et E.D. Texas 0775 al v. Dallas County et al 10/9/2020 10/20/2020 N. D. 20-cv- Georgia Voter Alliance Georgia 4198 et al v. Fulton County 10/9/2020 10/28/2020 South Carolina Voter's D. South 20-cv- Alliance et al v. Carolina 03710 Charleston County et al 10/22/2020 10/26/2020 DECISIONS BELOW The memorandum and opinion of the district court is published, reported at -- F.Supp.3d-- , 2020 WL 6158309 (October 21, 2020) (App. 1-19) (with order). The district court dismissed the complaint. ECF 1. The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on October 28, 2020 denied a motion for injunction pending appeal. (App. 40-41) JURISDICTION The district court has jurisdiction over the Pennsylvania Voters Alliance’s amended complaint under 28 U.S.C. 1331 and 1343, and has authority to issue declaratory and injunctive relief under 28 U.S.C. 1343, 1651 and 2201-02. The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has jurisdiction over Pennsylvania Voters Alliance’s appeal of a final district court decision under 28 U.S.C. 1291. The Court has jurisdiction over the previously-filed petition for writ of certiorari in case number 20-553 under 28 U. S. C. 2101(e) and this Court’s Rule 11. The Court has jurisdiction over this application under the Court’s Rule 22 and the All Writs Act, 28 U.S.C. 1651. iii CONSTITUTIONAL CLAUSES INVOLVED The United States Constitution, Article I, section 4 contains the Elections Clause: Section 4: Elections The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators… Article I, section 5, makes each House the judge of the elections of its respective members: Section 5: Powers and Duties of Congress Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members… iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CORPORATE DISCLOSURE STATEMENT ................................................................. i PARTIES TO THE PROCEEDING .................................................................................. i LIST OF ALL PROCEEDINGS .........................................................................................ii DECISIONS BELOW .........................................................................................................iii JURISDICTION ....................................................................................................................iii CONSTITUTIONAL CLAUSES INVOLVED ............................................................. iv TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ............................................................................................ vii Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 2 STATEMENT OF FACTS .................................................................................................. 3 The relevant facts about CTCL’s federal private election grants to the Respondents. .................................................................................................... 3 ARGUMENT ......................................................................................................................... 4 I. This lawsuit is a companion to Citizens United because, although corporations or billionaires can constitutionally make unlimited independent expenditures under the First Amendment, corporations or billionaires cannot constitutionally pay for federal elections under the Elections Clause........................................................... 4 II. This Court should adopt a patch of federal common law under the Elections Clause to preserve federal elections from being invalidated by private money paying for federal elections. ................................... 6 III. Under the Elections Clause, political subdivisions of a state have no power to accept private money to pay for federal elections. .......................... 9 IV. A private cause of action exists under the Elections Clause and related federal common law based on tortious interference with the “social contract” regarding federal elections. .................................................13 V. Standing exists when private federal election grants invalidate federal elections because a resident not having a Congressional representative is actual and concrete injury. ..........................................................17 VI. The Applicants meet all the requirements for an injunction pending appellate review. .........................................................................................20 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................... 21 v Appendix Order and Memorandum dismissing complaint, Pennsylvania Voters Alliance, et al. v Centre County, et al., USDC-MDPA 20-cv-01761, dated October 21, 2020. .............................................................................................