Purdue News

December 4, 2000 Purdue professor: U.S. Supreme Court ruling unusual, but the country is not in crisis A Purdue expert on the Supreme Court says its decision to vacate the Florida Supreme Court's ruling to extend the hand count deadline is an unusual one. "The Court rarely decides to change a state supreme court's decision," William McLauchlan, associate professor of political science, says. "The state supreme court is the final interpreter of state law. "This ruling certainly will have an impact on all other decisions in Florida because, in effect, it says that the election must be certified based on results from the manual recounts from no more than one week following the election." McLauchlan also disputes any claims that the country is in a political crisis. "We haven't done this before which makes it different, but not a crisis," he says. "Whether it's by 25 percent or 0.4 percent, every four years there is a winner and a loser. This year is no different, it's just taking a little longer than usual. "The American public has always accepted the winner," he says. "You may not like the president, but we've got to have one, and the country will be OK." McLauchlan's research interests include Supreme Court caseloads, lawyers and the legal profession; Constitutional law; and U.S politics. CONTACT: William McLauchlan, (765) 494-4171, mclauchl@polsci.purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page