[NWPT48]Monday morning Judge Bridges will deliver a ruling denying Dino Rossi’s petition to set aside the results of the gubernatorial election. I say this with unwavering confidence, secure in the knowledge that both statute and case law are firmly on Governor Gregoire’s side.
The only real suspense is over the character of the editorial comments in which he will couch his decision. Will he admonish elections officials for sloppy work? Will he scold Rossi’s attorneys for making unsubstantiated claims? Will he defend his ruling by pleading he was handcuffed by the statute, or will he defend the legislative pragmatism, embodied in statute, that prefers finality over certainty?
Or will he merely apply the law to the evidence and leave the editorializing to editorialists like me?
I plan to do a more complete trial wrap-up, but jet-lagged and TVW-feed-addled, I’m afraid those thoughts will have to wait until later this weekend to find their words. In the meanwhile, I’d just like to express the sincere sentiment that whatever the ruling, I can’t wait for the day this goddamn election contest is over and done with. And unfortunately, I’m guessing Monday ain’t it.