Ed Hartman III is representing Republican gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cox, in the defense of the separation of powers in the Maryland and U.S. Constitution. The Maryland State Board of Elections filed a Petition for Remedy with the Montgomery County Circuit Court seeking permission to open mail-in ballots in a manner directly prohibited by Maryland law. Mr. Hartman explains, “The design of the electoral process is strictly in the purview of the General Assembly. It is an unconstitutional delegation of powers to allow the Circuit Court, regardless of its good intentions, to ignore or fashion legislation in the ‘best interests of the public.’ This standard is not the exercise of judicial discretion; rather, it is for the legislative branch to make such determinations. It’s an honor and privilege representing the upholding of this standard.”
Maryland Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox and the Board of Elections are locked in a legal battle over mail-in ballots In dueling legal filings, Republican candidate Dan Cox and the Maryland Board of Elections are disagreeing over when mail-in ballots should be counted. Cox spoke to reporters after a Montgomery County Circuit Court hearing Tuesday (September 20, 2022) in which his lawyers opposed a move by the state elections board to start counting mail-in ballots before Election Day.
Cox’s lawyer Ed Hartman told Judge James Bonifant that the legislature knew counting could be a problem and that the situation was the “opposite” of an electoral emergency that would require the kind of change the elections board is requesting.