More than 120 Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives He was officially asked This week, the US Supreme Court decided to prevent four swing states from casting their electoral votes to be sealed by Joe Biden. His victory In the November elections, it was a blatant move indicating how the Republican Party embraced Donald Trump’s groundless attacks on the US electoral system.
The request came from 126 members of the Republican Party – nearly two-thirds of the Republican bloc – to support A. The Texas lawsuit has been filed Earlier this week, which sought to block electoral votes in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Georgia, Biden won all states in November. The lawsuit also won the support of major Republicans in the House of Representatives.
the suit It was finally rejected By the Supreme Court on Friday. The United States Constitution gives the states clear authority to determine their elections and does not grant other countries the right to interfere. The Texas argument in the lawsuit was also based on the Unsupported fraud claims That was rejected in the lower courts.
“The lawsuit has so many fundamental flaws that it is hard to know where to start. Lisa Marshall Mannheim, a professor of law at the University of Washington, wrote in an email:“ It offends basic principles of election law and demands an unconstitutional and unavailable remedy. ” It is an incoherent amalgamation of claims that have already failed in lower courts. “
Despite its eventual failure, the lawsuit is a troubling case Unprecedented in American history: Seeking abolition of a presidential election based on unfounded allegations by the incumbent who apparently lost his re-election bid.
It also became a test of loyalty to the President’s party that pitted Republican conservatives, legislators, and elected officials against each other.
One Supreme Court BriefThe arguments, brought by prominent Republicans opposing the lawsuit in Texas, said the arguments “mock federalism and the separation of powers.”
Of the 126 lawmakers who signed the warrant, there is a particularly bewildering group: 19 Republican members of Congress representing counties in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and Wisconsin.
These members all appeared on the same ballot as the presidential candidates and all but one were elected according to the same rules that they now object to.
(Meanwhile, Georgia congressman Doug Collins ran for a seat in the US Senate and lost. Collins acknowledged his race, and thus before he was defeated in a statewide election, and was later chosen by the Trump campaign to lead the state’s recount efforts. )
By signing the memo, these lawmakers are essentially arguing that their results may be tainted by the same irregularities they say cost Trump the election in their state.
The Guardian contacted the offices of these eighteen Republicans Who won re-election to ask whether they think their election victories should be further investigated in November. None of them responded to a request for comment.
Most of the legislators who The effort was supported by far-right conservatives from the deep red circles who voted for Trump. But collectively, their support for the lawsuit means that more than a quarter of the House of Representatives, including California congressman Kevin McCarthy, the Republican minority leader, believe the Supreme Court should nullify the votes of tens of millions of Americans.
Seventeen Republican prosecutors have also signed support for the recent legal attempt to cancel the 2020 presidential contest before State electors meet On Monday to officially announce Biden the victor.
Biden won the election with 306 electoral votes, the same number that Trump won in 2016, and leads the popular vote with more than 7 million. The four states targeted by the Texas lawsuit represent 62 electoral votes.
Biden defeated Trump hard in Michigan and Pennsylvania, part of the “blue wall” Trump smashed in 2016. Biden also regained a third “blue wall” state – Wisconsin – while winning a surprise win in Georgia, where it confirmed several recounts. His victory was despite a bold attempt by the president to pressure the Republican governor and the foreign minister to reverse the outcome.
Dozens of lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign and his allies in state and federal courts have been unsuccessful, with the cases lacking evidence of widespread voter fraud, claiming that judges summarily dismissed them, mocked them, and even denounced them as unfounded. Election law experts have also harshly criticized the Texas lawsuit, citing what they say Significant legal flaws In the argument advanced by the Republican state attorney general, Ken Paxton.
Paxton, a staunch ally of the president, has been facing an indictment in a long-running securities fraud case and faces a separate federal investigation into allegations he abused his office’s authority in relation to a political donor. He denied all charges. However, Paxton’s attempts to bypass the election results increased Speculation He may seek a presidential pardon, though he insists that this is not his motive.
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