Multi-State Election Suit Against GA Tossed By U.S. Supreme Court

GEORGIA — The latest unsuccessful effort from some Republicans nationwide to overturn Democrat Joe Biden's win in the 2020 election was rejected Friday, as the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit asking them to intervene.

It was the culmination of futile attempts by President Donald Trump and his allies to prevent Biden from taking the White House on Jan. 20.

On Tuesday, Texas sued Georgia and the other battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, claiming the votes were "tainted" by last minute changes to election law. The Texas Attorney General asked the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and block the vote.

"Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another state conducts its elections. All other pending motions are dismissed as moot," the Supreme Court wrote.

The lawsuit reiterated numerous claims that have already been raised and dismissed in a wide array of cases in both federal and state court over the past month.

The suit was filed earlier this week by Texas against Georgia and three other battleground states which President-elect Biden won: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. President Trump and 17 other states joined the suit days later.

The decision comes from a court with a new and decisive 6-3 conservative majority, following the recent death of longtime liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr's office said the filing is a misstep.

"With all due respect, the Texas attorney general is constitutionally, legally and factually wrong about Georgia," Katie Byrd, Carr's spokeswoman, told WSB.

Georgia Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the allegations in the lawsuit "are false and irresponsible."

"Texas alleges that there are 80,000 forged signatures on absentee ballots in Georgia, but they don't bring forward a single person who this happened to. That's because it didn't happen," Fuchs said.

Republicans said Texas and other states were affected and had standing to bring the suit because the results of the 2020 election were "skewed" by the actions of Democratic officials in those four battleground states.

RELATED: GA Sued By Texas Over Election Results, 4 Swing States Targeted

The lawsuit said its goal was to have the U.S. Supreme Court throw out the election results in those four battleground states, and instead allow the respective state legislatures to appoint the winner.

Legally, the brief requested a temporary block of the results of the election in those states, so that the U.S. Supreme Court could hold an expedited hearing on the case.

President Trump, earlier Friday, had urged the nation's highest court to "save the USA."

"Now that the Biden Administration will be a scandal plagued mess for years to come, it is much easier for the Supreme Court of the United States to follow the Constitution and do what everybody knows has to be done," he said on Twitter. "They must show great Courage & Wisdom."

In addition to the 17 states which joined Texas in the suit, 125 Republican members of U.S. Congress — including many from Georgia — also filed supporting amicus briefs, widely seen as a display of loyalty to the president.

The Electoral College will meet to vote on Monday.

Lawsuits focused on Georgia's election process were filed this week as the state gears up the runoff election Jan. 5, 2021, of both U.S. Senate seats held by Republicans.

Republicans filed several lawsuits in a move to change the rules for absentee ballots, AJC.com reported. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue filed a lawsuit that seeks new rules for signature matching of absentee ballots. The Georgia Republican Party filed a separate suit to restrict voters to returning ballots at drop boxes only during normal business hours, the newspaper reported.

The Twelfth Congressional District Republican Committee filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Augusta that would ban the use of all ballot drop boxes and to prevent absentee ballot envelopes being opened before Election Day.

This story includes reporting by Patch Editor Justin Heinze.