U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito issued an order directing Pennsylvania officials to segregate any mail-in ballots delivered after Election Day. However, the justice junked the GOP’s request to halt the state from counting the late-arriving ballots entirely. He issued the order on Friday.
Justice Alito, who is responsible for that region, kept the prevailing challenge to Pennsylvania’s mail-in ballot deadline alive and kicking, which was extended by a state court decision to three days after Election Day. He called for a response from state officials by Saturday afternoon.
Pennsylvania had, in fact, already issued an order to counties directing them to segregate their ballots and not include them in the vote count.
This comes on the heels of the Republican Party’s latest efforts to utilize the courts to intervene in the vote count.
Republicans had sought to stop or delay the ballot count in several lawsuits filed this week across the country since Tuesday.
President Trump took to Twitter to air his frustration. He said, “I had such a big lead in all of these states late into election night, only to see the leads miraculously disappear as the days went by. Perhaps these leads will return as our legal proceedings move forward.”
I had such a big lead in all of these states late into election night, only to see the leads miraculously disappear as the days went by. Perhaps these leads will return as our legal proceedings move forward!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2020
“Students for Trump” founder Ryan Fournier reacted to Justice Alito’s order, saying “get ready.”
Justice Alito has just issued an Order that any ballots received after after 8 PM on election day in PA be segregated and secured,
And counted separately.
Get ready.
— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) November 7, 2020
Neal Katyal, a law professor and former acting solicitor general in the Obama administration, said the justice’s order was “just a prudential preservation of the status quo.”
I would enter the order Justice Alito just entered, too. It means nothing. Just a prudential preservation of the status quo. (And that status quo turns out to be very bad for one Donald Trump.)
— Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) November 7, 2020
Various individuals across the country are rampantly reporting illegal votes, votes from deceased persons, unlawful prohibitions of poll watchers, discarded and doctored ballots, etc.
In a bid to shore up the Trump campaign’s legal defense fund, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham earlier said he will donate $500,000 to President Trump’s campaign to challenge results in the 2020 presidential election. The campaign will then brief Senate Republicans about the polls on Saturday.
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