The Connecticut Supreme Court is set to weigh in on whether Bridgeport residents should be able to make citizens' arrests in the city’s absentee ballot fraud case.
In November, Mayor Joe Ganim’s campaign members — city greeter Wanda Geter-Pataky and Bridgeport City Councilwoman Eneida Martinez — were found guilty of stuffing the absentee ballot box ahead of September's Democratic mayoral primary. It was a civil case, so they didn’t face arrest.
In response, three Bridgeport Democrats — Albert Bottone, Diahann Phillips and Alison Scofield — applied for arrest warrants for the two campaign workers. They cited a law that says a judge can issue an arrest warrant if three electors say they witnessed election interference.
Superior Court Judge Thomas Welch denied the application. He cited less than probable cause and said there was no clear plan to handle a trial.
The decision was appealed, and the state Supreme Court is expected to weigh in on May 1, according to the Judicial Branch.
“If the Supreme Court decides that it has subject matter jurisdiction, it will also decide the issues of whether the trial court properly determined (1) that § 9-368 allows for the issuance of arrest warrants based on a standard of less than probable cause and (2) that § 9-368 does not establish a vehicle for criminal prosecutions and that article fourth of the Connecticut constitution precludes arrests or prosecutions outside the Division of Criminal Justice,” the Judicial Branch’s summary of the case states.
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