The US Supreme Court late Friday denied the motion for leave to file a complaint in Texas v. Pennsylvania, which had sought to invalidate election results in four swing states that President Donald Trump lost in the November 2020 presidential election, namely Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin and Michigan.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had claimed there was rampant lawlessness in the defendant states, where suits from the Trump campaign are pending. The suit was supported by 17 states and 126 republican lawmakers who signed an amicus brief urging the court to hear the case.
The motion was denied for lack of standing under Article III of the Constitution, with the court stating that “Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections.”
In the Court’s brief order, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas nonetheless noted that they believed the court lacks discretion to deny filing in any case where it has original jurisdiction; they would have granted Texas’ motion but would not grant any other relief.
The decision comes right after the Supreme Court unanimously refused to block Pennsylvania from certifying its election results, making this the second case in two days where the court declined to get involved in Republican attempts to overturn election results.
The suit is seen by many as a final effort by Republicans to have the Supreme Court overturn the election since electors are expected to vote on Monday. President Trump has yet to comment on the court’s decision.