Federal Judge Susan Dlott was thrown with balls of criticisms after she made the call to extend polls in Hamilton, Butler, Warren and Clermont. The judge was reportedly eating dinner on Tuesday night, March 15, when she received complaints about traffic congestion hampering motorists from voting. Dlott, then, made a call to Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted and directed the extension of the polls for another hour to accommodate the late voters.
The order made by Dlott was claimed to have caused disruptions. According to some Election officials, the order did not reach them promptly. This caused poll officers to scurry back to closed stations during their way home after receiving the order.
Josh Eck, spokesman to Secretary of State Jon Husted, expressed the Secretary's consideration to appeal to the order. Cincinnati wrote that Eck revealed Husted's fear of Dlott's action which could set a precedent for future and unnecessary court involvement.
The extension of the polls also caused delays in the election returns. However, Dlott told Local12, "I can't explain my reasoning but there were adequate facts to support the order." Dlott was firm on the order the she gave.
According to Cincinnati, Dlott gave a statement on Wednesday expressing the thought of having made the right call. According to Dlott, "People were using their cellphones from the highway. They wanted to vote."
Judge Dlott made the decision without formal hearing or a black and white version of an actual complaint. This further sparked arguments from federal law experts. Arthur Hellman, a professor in the University of Pittsburgh said, "I've never heard anything like that," Cincinnati reported.
In the order sent by the U.S. District Judge, she noted a serious accident involving a car that went into the Ohio river, a justification to the extra hour. "I called the Secretary of State's office and spoke with an assistant Attorney General who was working last night," Dlott said over phone to Local12 on Wednesday, "He said the Secretary of State would comply with the court order."
What even made Dlott's decision complicated is the fact that she only listened to one side of the case contrary to a courts usual procedure. Hellman further commented, "We have rules. Even Federal Judges are supposed to follow them."
Voters are encouraged to cast their ballots early to avoid the same events from happening. The decision of the judge may have been a sympathy call for the stranded motorists but have caused serious implication on federal court law and election procedures.
