The Supreme Court on Friday tossed the lawsuit filed by Texas to disenfranchise tens of millions of voters from four swing states – Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – thereby preserving the victory of President-elect Joe Biden and dealing lame duck Donald Trump’s hope to overturn the election yet another crushing setback, Reuters Supreme Court reporter Lawrence Hurley tweeted.
In a one-page statement, the Court rejected the case, stating Texas did not have standing to file it. “Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another state conducts its elections,” the order reads. “All other pending motions are dismissed as moot.”
Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Justice Clarence Thomas, dissented from the order, stating, “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.”
The Alito/Thomas dissent was against the Court refusing to hear the case based on standing, claiming that the Supreme Court was the venue for such a complaint. Both agreed that no relief should be granted by the Court, meaning they would not have supported the injunction sought by Texas to throw out the results of the election from the four states being sued.
The Attorney General of Texas Ken Paxton’s effort to undermine the Constitution was endorsed by Trump, 126 House Republicans, and 18 States. (It also gained the support of two states that don’t exist.) Paxton sought to have SCOTUS override the individual states’ constitutions and laws on assigning electors to the Electoral College based on who won the popular vote.
The Texas lawsuit ignores conservative and Constitutional principles relating to states’ rights and state sovereignty, as well as the limited power of the federal government.