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US SC overturns Florida recount ruling

The US Supreme Court Tuesday reversed a Florida court decision that ordered a recount of tens of thousands of disputed ballots, a decision that appears to deliver the presidency to Texas Govovernor George W Bush.

The deeply divided court voted 5-4 to overturn a Florida Supreme Court ruling, saying the recount of undervotes in the state's 67 counties violated equal rights.

But the nation's highest court did leave open the possibility that the Florida court could reconsider its decision. It remanded the case back to the Florida Supreme Court for further review. However, the court seemed to recognise that time is a key factor.

"Because it is evident that any recount seeking to meet the December 12 date will be unconstitutional ... we reverse the judgment of the Supreme Court of Florida ordering the recount to proceed," the court said.

In making its historic decision, at least three justices agreed with arguments made by Bush's legal team that the Florida Supreme Court overstepped its bounds and violated both federal law and the Constitution when it last Friday reinstated the hand recounts of ballots initially rejected by machines.

The Supreme Court rejected the argument put forth by attorneys for Vice President Al Gore that the state had the authority to order the recounts in a contested election.

Gore advisers have said they believe that if he lost the Supreme Court case, he would mount no more challenges to Bush's claim to the presidency. Bush was the certified winner of Florida's 25 electoral votes November 7 in one of the closest presidential elections in history.

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