THE NEUTRAL ZONE
Texas filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court to attempt to stop electors from Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin from finalizing President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked the Supreme Court to push back the Dec. 14 deadline by which states must appoint presidential electors. President Donald Trump praised the lawsuit in a series of tweets, stating that the presidential election was rigged and should be overturned.
Paxton argued that those states unconstitutionally changed voting procedures during the coronavirus pandemic to allow for increased mail-in ballots. He said those changes skewed the presidential election results. Sixteen Republican state senators in Georgia applauded Texas’ filing in a press release and urged the Supreme Court to accept the “very important case.”
Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin have certified their results, but the Trump campaign continues to exhaust its legal options: The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a request from Pennsylvania Republicans to block certification of that state’s results.
In a joint statement, Attorneys General for Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin called Paxton’s lawsuit an attempt to “disregard the will of the people.” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, said the motion was “a publicity stunt, not a serious legal pleading.”
MEDIA PERSPECTIVE
This section includes an aggregation of articles showing different viewpoints on the topic.
Texas AG Sues 4 States, Asking Supreme Court to Toss Out Election Results – Truthout – 12/8/2020
Perhaps by design, the lawsuit does not target or seek to overturn election results in states where laws may also have been changed but where Trump secured a victory. The four jurisdictions listed in the suit are also states where legislatures are currently controlled by the Republican Party.
Texas Sues Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan And Pennsylvania Over Election Results – Daily Caller – 12/8/2020
Paxton says the states used executive orders to change the election process and hurt voting integrity by not “protecting” signature verification and witness requirements. The suit alleges the states failed to segregate ballots that would allow an “accurate analysis to determine which ballots were cast in conformity with the legislatively set rules and which were not.”
Republicans want to steal this election for Trump — they just don’t know how – Salon – 12/8/2020
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Tuesday demanding that the Supreme Court prevent state delegations from Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin from voting in the Electoral College. Notably, all four states have been subject to accusations from Trump that the votes from large, racially diverse cities are specifically illegitimate.
Georgia Fires Back: Texas SCOTUS Challenge ‘Constitutionally, Legally and Factually Wrong’ – Breitbart – 12/8/2020
Texas is seeking to have the Supreme Court order these states to send the selection of electors back to their respective state legislatures. In response, a spokesperson for the Office of the Attorney General in Georgia told Breitbart News: “With all due respect, the Texas Attorney General is constitutionally, legally and factually wrong about Georgia.”
Texas AG asks Supreme Court to overturn Trump’s losses in key states. Don’t hold your breath. – USA Today – 12/8/2020
They seek, in essence, a do-over. The Texas challenge filed Tuesday calls for the court to toss out the votes in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and allow their Republican-majority state legislatures to appoint electors who, presumably, would throw the election to Trump.
Texas Lawsuit: A 2020 Election Redo in 4 States? Here Are the Details – The Daily Signal – 12/8/2020
This is an unprecedented lawsuit, and the Supreme Court may be extremely leery and disinclined to take any actions regardless of the merits that could upset the results of a presidential election. Texas does a good job of describing what happened in each state and why the actions of government officials making unauthorized, unilateral changes in the rules may have violated the Constitution and affected the outcome of the election.
INFLUENCER PERSPECTIVE
This section includes an aggregation of tweets showing different viewpoints on the topic.
