Published: October 28, 2009 09:28 am      

ACORN dismisses Allegheny Co. prosecutor from suit

PITTSBURGH — ACORN has dismissed Allegheny County’s prosecutor from its federal lawsuit challenging a state law used to prosecute voter-registration workers who allegedly employed a quota system in the Pittsburgh area.

ACORN claims the law prohibiting pay based on the number of registrations is unconstitutional.

In exchange, Stephen A. Zappala Jr. won’t prosecute ACORN if the current payment structure based on hourly pay, not registration numbers, continues.

The suit continues against state Attorney General Tom Corbett. A spokesman for Zappala says it didn’t make sense for two agencies to defend the law’s constitutionality.

The settlement also doesn’t affect criminal cases against several former ACORN employees accused of voter fraud.