Ohio judge grants Obama campaign's early-voting request

The AP reports on a significant legal development in Ohio:

A federal judge in Ohio is giving all voters in the swing state the option of casting their ballot in person during the three days before Election Day. Judge Peter Economus on Friday issued a preliminary injunction granting the request from President Barack Obama's campaign that targets a state law that cuts off early voting for most residents on the Friday evening before a Tuesday election. The law exempts military personnel and Ohioans living overseas. Obama's campaign and Democrats are suing the state's elections chief over the legality of the law. They argue that everyone should have a chance to vote on those three days. Attorneys for the state contend that many laws grant special voting accommodations for military members, and local boards need time to prepare for elections.

The lawsuit has been a subject of debate between the two campaigns — Mitt Romney's campaign had supported a group of bipartisan military fraternal organizations that objected to the Obama campaign's effort to restore the early voting rights to everyone statewide in a key battleground.

The Romney team argued Obama's team was trying to curtail military members' voting rights. That wasn't the goal of the suit, but it certainly was the language that was used in the briefs to make the case, giving Romney's campaign a window.

It's unclear whether Romney's campaign is going to support a challenge the ruling that the state AG has said he'll file — I've asked for comment and will update if I get one. But if it stands, it's a significant help to Obama in the fall election.

* This post has been updated

Maggie Haberman is senior political reporter for Politico.