What court is handling the Rockland County NY lawsuit and what recent rulings were issued by October 1, 2025?
Executive summary
The Rockland County election challenge is pending in the New York State Supreme Court, with Judge Rachel Tanguay presiding; by October 1, 2025 the court had allowed discovery to proceed and kept the request for a recount on the table while dismissing some broader remedies earlier in the case (e.g., invalidating the election or appointing a monitor) [1] [2] [3].
1. What court is handling the case — and who is the judge?
The matter is in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Rockland; filings list the action as Index No. 037390/2024 and the docket and press materials identify Judge Rachel Tanguay as the judge managing the proceedings [1] [2].
2. The narrow scope judges allowed to move forward
The court has narrowed the remedies plaintiffs sought: on March 3, 2025 the court dismissed claims that would invalidate the 2024 Presidential and U.S. Senate results, order a new special election, or appoint a court monitor — but it left intact the branch of the petition directing a recount and other limited relief tied to accuracy of local tallies [3] [2].
3. Discovery was ordered to proceed — what that means concretely
Judge Tanguay has directed discovery to advance: plaintiffs served document requests seeking voting-machine builds, software currently running on Rockland County machines, and questions about modem/Wi‑Fi/cellular connections; the judge’s rulings put the case into an evidence‑gathering phase rather than ending the matter on pleadings alone [2] [4].
4. The central remedies still alive by October 1, 2025
The principal relief still before the court as of mid‑2025 was a petition for a full hand recount of the 2024 Presidential and U.S. Senate ballots in Rockland County; the initial March ruling explicitly kept the recount branch of the petition on the table [2] [5].
5. What earlier rulings limited the plaintiffs’ ambitions
Local reporting and court summaries note the court itself dismissed the plaintiffs’ broader claims to overturn certified results, mandate special elections, or appoint a county‑level monitor — indicating the judge treated those remedies as legally or factually unsupported at that stage [3].
6. Scheduling and next steps reported in the public record
Plaintiffs and their advocates announced compliance conferences and a September 22, 2025 hearing date in press materials; public notices and SMART Elections’ releases indicate the proceeding’s timeline moved toward additional conferences and discovery compliance [5] [6]. Available sources do not mention any dispositive judgment after those discovery orders up through October 1, 2025.
7. Competing perspectives and what sources emphasize
Plaintiff-side materials and advocacy groups frame the judge’s discovery order as a win and press for a public hand count [4] [5]. Independent outlets and election experts cited in reporting and analysis emphasize that statistical anomalies cited by plaintiffs can have benign demographic explanations and that the lawsuit — even if it results in a recount — would not change the certified national outcome [7] [2] [8].
8. Limits of available reporting and what remains unknown
Court dockets and press releases document discovery orders and the retention of the recount claim, but available sources do not report a final adjudication overturning results or the completion and outcome of any countywide hand recount by October 1, 2025 [2] [3]. Available sources do not mention whether discovery produced evidence that will alter the legal posture of the case after that date.
9. Why this procedural posture matters
That the case is in New York Supreme Court and is in discovery means it will turn on documentary and testimonial evidence, not headline assertions; Judge Tanguay’s rulings show the court is limiting remedies to what can be legally justified — recounts and focused fact‑finding — while rejecting sweeping remedies at the pleadings stage [2] [3].
10. How to follow verification and next filings
Primary sources to watch are the NYSCEF docket for Index No. 037390/2024, public court calendars at the Rockland County courthouse, and subsequent press releases from the county and SMART Elections for discovery rulings or recount orders [1] [5].