Ruling brings brief revival for Gore

TALLAHASSEE - Florida's highest court, by a four to three vote, intervened dramatically on Saturday to briefly derail Republican George W. Bush's presidential victory hopes.

Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court turned the tables again with its 5-4 ruling to halt manual recounts of votes in Florida.

But the divided Florida Supreme Court briefly brought Democrat Al Gore's presidential campaign back from the brink of death.

Overruling a district court judge, it added 383 votes to his total and ordered a manual recount of 9000 disputed votes in Miami-Dade County and any other disputed ballots in other Florida counties.

The decision immediately cut Bush's lead over Gore in Florida to 154 votes out of nearly 6 million cast, pending the further recounts.

"By a vote of 4-3, the majority of the court has reversed the decision of the trial court in part," the court said in a statement read by spokesman Craig Waters.

"It has further ordered that the Circuit Court of the 2nd Judicial Circuit here in Tallahassee shall immediately begin a manual recount of the approximately 9000 Miami-Dade ballots that registered undervotes.

"In addition, the Circuit Court shall enter orders ensuring the inclusion of the additional 215 legal votes for Vice-President Gore in Palm Beach County and the 168 additional legal votes from Miami-Dade County."

In a dissenting opinion, state Chief Justice Charles Wells said: "I have to conclude that there is a real and present likelihood that this constitutional crisis will do substantial damage to our country, our state, and to this court as an institution."

"Undervotes" are punch-card ballots that vote-counting machines failed to read as valid votes because voters had not punched clean, complete holes in the cards.

- REUTERS

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