Judge allows special caucuses at 9 Vegas casinos
The ruling will enable culinary workers, whose union backs Obama, to vote at work. It was opposed by the Nevada teachers union, which has ties to Clinton.
A federal judge in Nevada today upheld plans by the state Democratic Party to hold special caucuses Saturday at nine casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, assuring that culinary workers at hotels whose union has endorsed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama will be able to vote at work.
"State Democrats have a 1st Amendment right to association, to assemble and to set their own rules," U.S. District Court Judge James Mahan said in his decision. "We're not voting here. We're caucusing. That's something that parties decide."
The Nevada State Education Assn., with ties to Hillary Rodham Clinton, had joined the lawsuit against the casino caucus sites two days after the powerful Culinary Workers' Union, with 60,000 members, endorsed Obama. The teachers argued that the plan gives unfair electoral advantage to the casino workers, because teachers may not be able to get to their caucuses because they have to staff the schools where voting takes place.
The Obama campaign reacted to the court decision quickly, chiding the Clinton camp for trying to silence "the voices of workers."
Predicting "a close and competitive contest," Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said, "We're glad the Nevada court upheld the Nevada Democratic Party's caucus plan, which encourages voter participation."
Meanwhile, BET Founder Robert Johnson apologized to Obama for remarks he made while campaigning for Clinton, a U.S. senator from New York, comments that indirectly referred to Obama's youthful drug use.
"I'm writing to apologize to you and your family personally for the un-called-for comments I made at a recent Clinton event," Johnson said in a letter. "In my zeal to support Sen. Clinton, I made some very inappropriate remarks for which I am truly sorry. I hope that you will accept this apology. Good luck on the campaign trail."
Also, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, endorsed Obama today.
"We need a president who can reintroduce America to the world and actually reintroduce America to ourselves," Leahy said in a conference call with reporters. "I believe Barack Obama is the best person to do that."
While he admires his colleagues, Clinton and North Carolina's former senator, John Edwards, Leahy said, "I'm looking at who can do this best, and I believe that Barack Obama can."
Meanwhile GOP presidential candidates were all over the map today.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, looking for his first win, stumped in Florida. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, fresh from his victory in Michigan, flew off to Nevada, which caucuses Saturday. And four other candidates - Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Texas Rep. Ron Paul -- campaigned in South Carolina, where Republicans go to the polls Saturday.
Romney, who won the Michigan primary, leads the delegate race with 42, followed by Huckabee, who won in Iowa, with 32 delegates and McCain, who won in New Hampshire, with 13. It takes 1,191 delegates to win at the GOP convention Sept. 1 to 4 in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The Democratic Convention is Aug. 25 to 28 in Denver.
johanna.neuman@latimes.com
