Group to honor judge involved in recount case.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

WASHINGTON _ N. Sanders Sauls, the Tallahassee, Fla., judge who rejected Al Gore's plea for a Florida recount in a landmark ruling, will be honored here next week by Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group that played a high-profile role in the legal battle over the election.

Judicial Watch plans a $95-a-head dinner June 7 at the National Press Club as a "tribute" to Sauls, described by the group as the "Florida circuit court judge who presided over the most important trial in the history of American politics."

The group, which filed several lawsuits in South Florida to gain access to disputed ballots, did not take sides in the Bush vs. Gore battles that raged from Florida courtrooms to the U.S. Supreme Court. Sauls' ruling was overturned by the Florida Supreme Court, and the state justices were then overruled by the U.S. high court.

Judicial Watch is best known for its lawsuits against the Clinton administration alleging corruption throughout the government.

This week, the group sued former Attorney General Janet Reno and other top officials in the Elian Gonzalez case, representing a former immigration service agent who filed a civil rights complaint.

Judge Sauls would not comment on the tribute Wednesday.

Larry Klayman, founder of Judicial Watch, said he wanted to honor Sauls not because of his ruling in favor of George W. Bush but "the way he handled the case.