Mike Boettcher: Election battle heads for Florida Supreme Court

Mike Boettcher

CNN Correspondent Mike Boettcher is covering developments at the Florida State Supreme Court in Tallahassee, Florida.

Q:What's the media frenzy like as the Florida Supreme Court prepares to receive written arguments in the presidential election dispute?

BOETTCHER:In terms of cameras, this ranks right up there to the Gulf War, the Berlin Wall, the Oklahoma City bombing. The world's media has descended on this place. You have reporters and cameras from it seems like every network on earth. It's the world's most powerful country and it's having a difficult time picking a leader. It's still a huge event and will be until there is a winner declared. It's very challenging to keep up with the fast pace of the legal proceedings going on and following the arguments back and forth and the shifting deadlines. It's been very difficult in that regard.

Q:What about the local population? Is there more focus on the historic role the state's highest court is playing in the election deadlock or on the University of Florida and Florida State football game?

BOETTCHER:There is more interest in the football game, definitely. People are getting on with their lives. Of course, everyone's incredibly interested in the outcome of the election and their state's role in that. But people want a little bit of a breather. People are dressed in the school colors and they're driving around with the school flags flapping out of their windows despite the miserable weather. It's very cold and very rainy here right now.

Q:What about the Bush and Gore legal teams?

BOETTCHER:Both the legal teams of Governor Bush and Vice President Gore worked most of the night trying to prepare their written arguments. The Gore team is working out of a small branch office of a Miami law firm on folding tables and folding chairs. They've got televisions set up all around trying to watch everything going on around them. There's a similar situation with Gov. Bush's legal team.

Q:What role is the media playing in shaping the legal strategies?

BOETTCHER: They are getting instant information about what's going on from television, most of it from CNN, they acknowledge. They can hear the other side's press conferences, what's going on in Washington, what's going on in Palm Beach County. In the lower court hearing on Thursday, I know that much of the information that the Democratic side presented to the judge came straight off the CNN Interactive Web site. They were using all sorts of transcripts and other information off the Web site to present as exhibits in the court case. They told me they found it the quickest and easiest way to get information together that they needed.

Q:Is this the biggest case to ever come before the Florida Supreme Court?

BOETTCHER:I would say so. They've dealt with issues of Florida state law and death penalty issues but this is the biggest case that's been before this court in history.

Q:Is there a sense that when the oral arguments are presented by both sides on Monday that the issue will soon be resolved?

BOETTCHER: No. This is probably the end of the road in terms of Florida law. But there can be new challenges made in the federal arena. And that could eventually end up in the U.S. Supreme Court if the federal courts decide to accept it.