 On March 10 , 1900 , Field sided with the Democrats . In his ruling , he opined that legislative actions " must be taken as absolute " and that the court did not have the authority to circumvent the legislative record . Republicans appealed the decision to the Kentucky Court of Appeals . In their appeal , they were careful to raise a federal issue . If Judge Field 's ruling was correct , and the Board of Elections , the General Assembly , or both had the right under the state constitution to an absolute review of all elections , then the Assembly had been given absolute arbitrary power over elections , in conflict with the federal constitution . 
