COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A federal judge ordered Secretary of State Jon Husted on Wednesday to personally appear next week at a hearing about his reluctance to restore early voting the weekend before the Nov. 6 election.

Judge Peter Economus, whose ruling Husted has resisted, scheduled the hearing on Sept. 13 in the U.S. District Court in Columbus.

Economus set the hearing after President Barack Obama's re-election team filed a motion Wednesday requesting the court to enforce its order to restore in-person early voting during the final three days before the presidential election.

In-person early voting over the final weekend before the Nov. 6 election has emerged as a signature issue for Democrats who have repeatedly bashed Republicans' attempts to limit early voting opportunities.

Husted, a Republican, once again took fire from Democrats with a directive he issued on Tuesday.

Previous coverage

Husted bars local election officials from setting early voting hours pending appeals court decision (

Ohio attorney general says he will appeal federal ruling that restores in-person early voting on eve of Election Day (

Judge overturns Ohio law, restores in-person early voting in 3 days leading to Election Day (

Arguments heard in Obama campaign's lawsuit over early voting in Ohio for military members, civilians (

Black clergy group adds to chorus upset over early voting hours in Ohio (

Jon Husted doesn't rule out limiting early voting throughout Ohio (

New state voting laws cause controversy; critics fear turnout will suffer (

Ohio House votes to repeal controversial election law (

Husted prohibited all 88 county election boards from setting early voting hours during the last three days before the election, despite Economus' ruling last Friday..

Husted said it would be premature for elections boards to set hours because he has appealed Economus' ruling.

A Husted spokesman said Wednesday that the secretary of state's office did not think the directive conflicted with the judge's order.

"If (the judge) thinks differently, we will rescind the directive immediately," Husted spokesman Matt McClellan said.

The Obama team, however, said Husted's directive flouted the judge's ruling. It pointed out that Husted did not seek a stay of Judge Economus' decision.

"Having sought no stay, either in this court or the court of appeal, the state appears to believe it can issue one on its own authority," Obama for America said in its court filing on Wednesday. "Nowhere in this directive does the secretary identify the legal basis for this extraordinary action."

In his ruling , Judge Economus said he would expect Husted to direct all Ohio elections boards to maintain a specific, consistent schedule on the three days before the election.

In his directive, Husted said that he would set such a schedule if the judge's ruling withstood his appeal.

"The constitutionality of the statute setting in-person absentee voting hours is still subject to court review and it would further confuse voters to set hours now that the court may change later," Husted said in his directive.

Economus' decision overturned a new Ohio law, backed by Republicans, to end early voting at 6 p.m. the Friday before the election until the polls opened Tuesday, Nov. 6.