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A defense of the US Supreme Court decision in Bush v. Gore relies on Chief Justice Rehnquist's argument that overturning the decision of the FL Supreme Court was proper because its rulings were contrary to Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the US Constitution, which states, "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature Thereof May Direct," electors for the offices of President & Vice President. Difficulties involved in the equal protection argument used by the five conservative justices to support their decision are examined in light of past cases. Although their rationale would require equal standards across different precincts, it is maintained that it could not demand adoption of any single standard, & therefore called for the case to be sent back to the FL Supreme Court for a final decision on the result of the vote. The rationale behind Rehnquist's alternative ground for decision is said to be much stronger because it involves alleged unconstitutional deviation from state law on the part of the FL Supreme Court. J. Lindroth

"LGBT Politics and the Legislative Process" published on by Oxford University Press.

"Parliaments in Foreign Policy" published on by Oxford University Press.

The 2000 US gubernatorial & state legislature elections are analyzed. After discussing trends in gubernatorial elections since 1984, the outcome of this 2000 election are discussed, emphasizing the major parties' ability to preserve a majority of their gubernatorial seats. It is contended that incumbent candidates in state legislature elections are generally successful in maintaining their seats because of a decrease in the number of seats being contested by candidates from other parties & of the increased cost challengers face in running against incumbents. The outcome from the 2000 state legislature elections are then reported, illustrating the Republican Party's increased control of state legislatures; the election results from several key states are scrutinized to determine if recent outcome trends for the major parties continued. In addition, the results from referenda & initiative issues on state ballots are reported. It is concluded that the Republican Party's slight control over both Congressional houses is expected & suggested that results from state legislature elections demonstrate the dominance of moderate political perspectives among the present-day electorate. 3 Tables, 7 References. J. W. Parker

"Feminism in Foreign Policy" published on by Oxford University Press.

Surveys African-American representation in the legislatures of 6 southern states -- AL, LA, NC, SC, TN, & VA -- for the period 1980-2000. Statistical data from various issues of Black Elected Officials: A National Roster & state legislative records are used to chart increases in the numbers of blacks in both the house & senate cambers of each state legislature; explore black leadership (particularly in terms of serving as committee chairs or vice-chairs); & determine the strength of black caucuses. Significant gains by African Americans in terms of descriptive representation (actual numbers) in the legislatures of each of these states are documented, though their gains in leadership status are less clear & vary by state; their future hopes of gaining such status range from "relatively positive" (LA & TN) to "bleak" (VA & SC). References. K. Hyatt Stewart