U.S. Supreme Court rejects Texas lawsuit

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday rejected a Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn President Trump’s defeat in four battleground states.

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The ruling was delivered in a three-sentence order. The order was unsigned.

“The State of Texas’s motion for leave to file a bill of complaint is denied for lack of standing under Article III of the Constitution. Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections,” the Court wrote. “All other pending motions are dismissed as moot.”

Justices Samuel Alito wrote that, “In my view, we do not have discretion to deny the filing of a bill of complaint in a case that falls within our original jurisdiction. I would therefore grant the motion to file the bill of complaint but would not grant other relief, and I express no view on any other issue.”

Justice Clarence Thomas concurred with Alito’s statement.

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, tweeted that the Supreme Court “closed the book on the nonsense.”

Michael Gwin, a spokesman for Biden, tweeted that the Supreme Court “has decisively and speedily rejected the latest of Donald Trump and his allies’ attacks on the democratic process.”

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel tweeted that the decision “is an important reminder that we are a nation of law, and though some may bend to the desire of a single individual, the courts will not.”

The lawsuit, brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, was joined by 17 states, more than half of Republicans in the House of Representatives and Trump. It sought to invalidate millions of votes cast in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. All four states were carried by President-elect Joe Biden.

With the filing of its reply brief on Friday morning, Texas cleared the way for the nation’s high court to issue an order on its request for a preliminary injunction, The Hill reported.

A quick decision was necessary since Monday is the day when Electoral College meetings will be held to formalize President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump.

Trump weighed in on Twitter late Friday, tweeting that the high court “really let us down.”

“No wisdom, no courage,” Trump wrote.

Seventeen Republican attorneys general and 126 members of Congress joined Texas and President Donald Trump in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out millions of votes, according to The Associated Press. On Friday, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana signed onto a brief backing the lawsuit.

Friday afternoon, Trump tweeted “If the Supreme Court shows great wisdom and courage, the American people will win perhaps the most important case in history, and our electoral process will be respected again.”

In an interview Friday night, Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney, vowed to fight on.

“We’re not finished, believe me,” Giuliani said during an interview with Newsmax.

The states targeted by the lawsuit backed by Trump fired back at the state of Texas on Thursday. State officials told the Supreme Court in a series of legal briefs that Texas has no business telling another state how to conduct its elections.

“The Court should not abide this seditious abuse of the judicial process, and should send a clear and unmistakable signal that such abuse must never be replicated,” state of Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro wrote.

“Texas’ claims are no different than the multiple cases pressed in state and federal courts in Georgia over the past weeks,” Georgia Attorney General Christopher Carr said.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court issued a one-sentence order when it denied a request from Pennsylvania Republicans to nullify Biden’s certified victory in the Keystone State -- a state the President-elect won by more than 81,000 ballots.

Cox Media Group