Dec. 11 (UPI) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday denied Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit challenging the election results in four battleground states.
The high court said Texas hasn’t demonstrated a sufficient interest in how another state handles its elections for the lawsuit to move forward.
The decision deals a major blow to Republican efforts to overturn the election results, which gave President-elect Joe Biden the win.
Paxton on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to stop Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin from voting in the Electoral College. He said the states broke the law by implementing pandemic-related changes to election policies.
He said those changes allowed for voter fraud to occur — a conclusion experts and election officials have denied.
Allen West, chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, said the Supreme Court ruling allows the four states to “take unconstitutional actions.”
“This decision establishes a precedent that says states can violate the U.S. Constitution and not be held accountable,” he said. “This decision will have far-reaching ramifications for the future of our constitutional republic. Perhaps law-abiding states should bond together and form a Union of states that will abide by the Constitution.”
The Democratic Attorneys General Association welcomed the Supreme Court decision in a statement by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford.
“The court’s decision is an important reminder that we are a nation of laws — and in America, our laws are designed to protect the will of the people. Democratic attorneys general will never waiver in fighting against anti-democratic efforts that threaten to undermine our free and fair elections.
“It’s long past time our leaders respect the will of the American voter and move forward together to confront the challenges that lie ahead for our families and communities.”
President Donald Trump joined Texas’ bid to overturn the election after dozens of other efforts failed in the courts systems. Attorneys general from more than a dozen states and some 125 Republican members of Congress also joined the case or filed amicus briefs.
Trump didn’t immediately responded to the Supreme Court decision, but he posted several allegations of election fraud on Twitter throughout the day.
Earlier Friday, courts in Michigan and Wisconsin dealt more blows to the Trump campaign’s efforts to challenge the election.
The Michigan Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by the Trump campaign on its allegations that poll challengers were denied access at the TCF Center in Detroit.
A lower court judge ruled against the Trump campaign because the lawsuit named Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson as the defendant, but the responsibility of allowing access to poll challenges lies with local clerks.
In Wisconsin, a judge rejected Trump’s attempt to challenge the way absentee ballots were handled in Dane and Milwaukee counties.
All 50 states have certified their election results and electors are scheduled to meet Monday to vote in the Electoral College.
Biden defeated Trump in the Electoral College 306-232.
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