Dec 8, 2020 - Politics & Policy
Supreme Court rejects GOP effort to overturn Biden win in Pennsylvania
President Trump at a vaccine summit on Dec. 8, Washington, D.C. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to take up Republicans' attempt to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's victory in Pennsylvania.
Why it matters: The GOP request was the first petition to delay or overturn election results on behalf of the Trump campaign to reach the high court.
- President Trump's ongoing legal fight to invalidate the race results has not gone far, as federal judges in states including Georgia and Michigan have rejected the campaign's unfounded claims of mass voter fraud.
- Biden's win in Pennsylvania helped cement the final outcome of the 2020 election.
Of note: There were no public dissents released in the court's brief decision.
- It was Justice Amy Coney Barrett's first case related to the 2020 election.
The bottom line: Tuesday also marks the "safe harbor" deadline for states to count electoral votes, meaning Trump’s legal challenges are now effectively dead.
- States have until this deadline to settle contests or controversies over the election results. Governors in states where results were contested must issue a certificate describing how any issues or contests were resolved.
Editor's note: This story has been updated.