On July 22, the ACLU sued Pennsylvania in federal court over a 2002 law that makes it illegal to pay voter registration activists on a per-registrant basis. The case is ACORN v Corbett, western district, 2:09-cv-00951-NBF. The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Nora Barry Fischer, a Bush Jr. appointee.

Ironically, ACORN does not pay its workers per registration. It pays by the hour. But, the complaint says, “No employer can afford to have unproductive employees.” The lawsuit charges that Pennsylvania officials have been interpreting the law to make it impossible to run a paid registration drive. The 19-page complaint is here.