U.S. Supreme Court Denies Texas' Bid To Overturn Election Results In 4 States, Including Pa.
WASHINGTON (KDKA/AP) -- The United States Supreme Court has denied Texas' bid to overturn election results in four states, including Pennsylvania.
On Friday, the Supreme Court rejected the lawsuit to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's election victory.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin, alleging that they violated the Constitution based on a litany of already-dismissed complaints. Attorney General Paxton asked the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate their 62 Electoral College votes for Biden — a move that would swing the election to President Donald Trump.
The court's order was its second this week rebuffing Republican requests that it get involved in the 2020 election outcome. The justices turned away an appeal from Pennsylvania Republicans on Tuesday.
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Trump had called the lawsuit filed by Texas against Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin "the big one" that would end with the Supreme Court undoing Biden's substantial Electoral College majority and allowing Trump to serve another four years in the White House.
In a brief order, the court said Texas does not have the legal right to sue those states because it "has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections."
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, who have said previously the court does not have the authority to turn away lawsuits between states, said they would have heard Texas' complaint. But they would not have done as Texas wanted pending resolution of the lawsuit, and set aside those four states' 62 electoral votes for Biden.
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Three Trump appointees sit on the high court. In his push to get the most recent of his nominees, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, confirmed quickly, Trump said she would be needed for any post-election lawsuits. Barrett appears to have participated in both cases this week. None of the Trump appointees noted a dissent in either case.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro called the lawsuit a threat to American democracy.
"Mind your own business and stay out of Pennsylvania," Shapiro told KDKA's Jon Delano.
The Electoral College meets Monday to formally elect Biden as the next president.
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