ACORN wants judge to toss Pa.’s soliciting law

PITTSBURGH (AP) — ACORN and the American Civil Liberties Union plan to file a civil rights lawsuit asking a judge to strike down a Pennsylvania law used to prosecute some former Pittsburgh-area workers for allegedly using a quota system to gather voter registrations before last year’s general election.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the lawsuit from the ACLU before it was filed Wednesday. It names Attorney General Tom Corbett, because his office defends the constitutionality of state laws, and county District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr.

Zappala has charged five fired ACORN workers and two other people with collecting or submitting bogus voter registration forms to meet an alleged daily quota of 20 registration forms per worker.

ACORN officials have denied using a hard quota, but say workers are expected to meet performance standards.