21.   A. Some of the counties have sued to ensure that the results of their manual recounts are included in the final certification.

22.   A. The legislature would not have permitted manual recounts, the court ruled, without also allowing time for them to be completed.

23.   After serving as a Republican observer of the manual recount, he delayed a trip to visit his ill sister in Helen, Ga., so he could protest.

24.   Again, Bush will argue that the manual recounts are too subjective.

25.   Also Wednesday, the Florida Supreme Court rejected a request by Harris to temporarily stop the manual recount in Palm Beach County.

26.   Bush overwhelmingly defeated Gore in the Texas vote, but a limited manual recount of some ballots in his home state is taking place anyway.

27.   Bush brought the Supreme Court case during the protest period, to try to stop the manual recounts before certification.

28.   Bush would have won even if the US Supreme Court had not stopped the more limited manual recount ordered by the Florida courts.

29.   But Christopher and other Democrats insisted the manual recounts were a well-established way to sort out confusion.

30.   But Democrats said that canvass was not sufficient, and demanded a manual recount of the punch-card ballots in four counties.