TALLAHASSEE, Fla — The Florida Supreme Court Friday ordered the recount of some 9,000 votes in the Miami area, keeping alive Democrat Al Gore's hope of winning the U.S. presidency.
In a blow to Republican George W. Bush, the court ruled 4-3 that a Florida circuit court "shall immediately begin a manual recount of the approximately 9,000 Miami-Dade ballots that registered under votes."
The court, whose ruling was read to reporters by spokesman Craig Waters, also ordered the lower court to add 215 votes for Gore from Palm Beach County and 168 additional votes from Miami-Dade County established after earlier recounts.
That would cut into the 537-vote lead currently held by Bush in one of the closest presidential elections in U.S. history.
It also told the lower court to order a manual recount of all so-called under votes, those which machines indicated voted for no presidential candidate, in any Florida county where such a recount has not yet taken place.
"Because time is of the essence the recounts shall commence immediately," the court said.
That was a reference to the Dec. 12 deadline for all states to determine the representatives to the Electoral College, which formally selects the president six days later.
The high court said a ballot should be considered legal if a "clear indication" of voter intent is determined—a standard the Bush and Gore camps have been unable to agree on so far.
A certification by the Florida secretary of state on Nov. 26 gave Bush both a lead of 537 votes out of the nearly 6 million cast and the state's 25 crucial electoral votes pending a challenge by Gore.
Whichever candidate wins Florida's electoral votes will become the 43rd president of the United States.
Bush had said earlier he would appeal any decision against him to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Gore camp welcomed the decision. A senior adviser to the vice president said: "Finally someone is going to open the ballot box and see how people voted. I think they are going to find that the people of Florida elected Al Gore."
A senior Republican swiftly condemned the high court ruling, noting that all the members of the Florida supreme court were appointed by Democratic governors.
House Republican Conference Chairman J.C. Watts said in a statement: "Today's ruling by the all-Democrat Florida Supreme Court sets a dangerous precedent, which places Vice President Gore's recount obsession over the rule of law."
The state Supreme Court ruling comes 31 says after the presidential election. It also came less than two hours after two Florida Circuit Court judges had dealt Gore a defeat in a pair of cases involving absentee ballots.
Those two victories had put Bush on the brink of victory before the state's high court weighed in on the Gore appeal of the circuit ruling, which Monday had rejected any further recounts.
Gore's top attorney, David Boies, had told the high court on Thursday that the ballots, excluded from a tally declared by the Florida secretary of state to be official and final, must be recounted in order to determine the true winner of the election.
But Bush attorney Barry Richard had urged the seven justices to uphold a lower court ruling denying a recount.