Ophelia Ford Election Lawsuit: Judge Extends Restraining Order

MyEyeWitnessNews.com
January 25, 2006


The election controversy surrounding State Senator Ophelia Ford landed in a federal courtroom on Wednesday. It is a case that involves dead voters, accusations of racism, and angry Senators.

The hearing on whether the State Senate can expel Senator Ophelia Ford lasted for eight hours.

Several Tennessee Senators were called to testify. State Senator Mark Norris of Collierville and State Senator Curtis Person of Memphis, both republicans, were among them. They, like other senators, feel that the State Senate controversy is one that should be played out on the Senate floor, not a federal courtroom.

Ford beat republican Terry Roland by 13 votes during a special District 29 election held in September. It was later discovered that several of those votes were illegally cast.

Last week, the Senate was set to vote on whether to invalidate that election, however, Ford got an injunction to stop that from happening.

Wednesday, the judge extended a temporary restraining order preventing the Senate from taking any action until next Wednesday. She also dismissed Terry Roland from the lawsuit, and added the entire body of the Tennessee Senate.

Senator Ford told Eyewitness News, "I'm looking very forward to a conclusion on all this."