After moving courtrooms and switching judges several times Monday, US District Judge William P. Johnson heard arguments in a case brought against GOP attorney Pat Rogers and private investigator Al Romero by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF). Several interesting things came out in court yesterday.

First, Rogers says he hired Romero to investigate suspect voter registrations because he was considering a lawsuit against ACORN, the community organizing group that registered 80,000 voters in New Mexico this year.

(Rogers’ distrust of ACORN is not new. In 2004, Rogers pushed US Attorney David Iglesias to pursue charges of voter registration fraud against ACORN; when he refused, Rogers and others pressured officials in the White House and Department of Justice to fire Iglesias. Which they did. Which may result in criminal charges.)

Second, under examination in court, plaintiff Dora Ecobedo admitted that she had already voted by mail by the time Romero showed up at her doorstep questioning her eligibility to vote. That appeared to make a dent in MALDEF’s argument that a restraining order was needed to protect her right to vote.

Third, Rogers says he hired Romero on behalf of his client, New Mexico Victory 08, part of the Republican Party of New Mexico.

Fourth: according to a response filed with the court Sunday, Romero was not the first private investigator hired by Rogers to investigate ACORN. It was the first private investigator (who was not named) who prepared a list of 10 suspect voters, including plaintiffs in the MALDEF suit Dora Escobedo and Lydia Olivarez, that was distributed to the media at an Oct. 16 press conference held by NM State Rep. Justine Fox Young.

Another three of the 10 people on that suspect-voter list are now plaintiffs in a different voter intimidation lawsuit against Al Romero and NM State Rep. Justine Fox-Young, filed by the ACLU.

A continuation of yesterday’s hearing was scheduled for 10 a.m. today. We’ll have an update on that ASAP.

This story has been corrected. An earlier version included an error in the judge’s name.