Hearing on Rodimer’s lawsuit over election results delayed

Republican congressional challenger Dan Rodimer’s court bid for a new election in Clark County was pushed back until Tuesday after a Monday hearing hit a preliminary snag.

Rodimer’s attorney, Craig Mueller, pointed out during a Monday morning hearing with District Judge Gloria Sturman that the case was improperly assigned to Sturman, as an administrative order limiting election-related cases to Sturman’s courtroom had expired.

After several hours, Chief Judge Linda Marie Bell ordered the case randomly reassigned to Judge Trevor Atkin, and a new opening hearing was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Rodimer is seeking an order that would force the Clark County Commission to hold a new election for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District because of a variety of election fraud claims. It is part of a series of nearly identical lawsuits filed by Mueller on behalf of defeated GOP candidates.

One such attempt, lodged on behalf of 4th Congressional District challenger Jim Marchant, was denied last week, with several others filed on behalf of defeated legislative candidates set for hearing this week.

The state and national Democratic parties have intervened to fight the lawsuits alongside the county. Both have argued Mueller’s claims lack any evidence and are not filed properly, as state law requires that election appeals in congressional races go before the U.S. House of Representatives, not local courts.

Rep. Susie Lee, a Democrat, defeated Rodimer in the Nov. 3 election by a little more than 12,000 votes.

The Nevada Supreme Court is scheduled to begin the canvass to officially certify the election at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Contact Rory Appleton at rappleton@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0276. Follow @RoryDoesPhonics on Twitter.