The US Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit filed by Texas seeking the invalidation of the election results in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and Wisconsin, which together have 62 electoral college votes. President Donald, as well as 17 other states, had supported the Texas lawsuit.
The top court's decision will pave the way for the convening of the electoral college on Monday. More than half of the Republicans members of Congress had also supported the lawsuit.
"The State of Texas's motion for leave to file a bill of complaint is denied for lack of standing under Article III of the Constitution. Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections. All other pending motions are dismissed as moot," the verdict said on Friday night.
No Dissent Verdict
The order was unsigned, and the vote count was not revealed. There was hope in the Republican camps that the 6-3 Conservative majority in the top court would work to President Trump's favor. Trump had fast tracked the appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court in the face of stiff Democratic resistance, hoping that a beefed up conservative majority in the Supreme Court would help him in election lawsuits.
However, court records on Friday showed there was no open dissent over the Texas verdict. The order said Texas did not demonstrate that it had the legal right to file the case. There was no "judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections," the court observed.
Trump Warns of 'Scandal Plagued Mess'
On Friday morning, Trump had called upon the Supreme Court to defend the constitution and save America, adding that the incoming Biden administration was a "scandal plagued mess". "Now that the Biden Administration will be a scandal plagued mess for years to come, it is much easier for the Supreme Court of the United States to follow the Constitution and do what everybody knows has to be done. They must show great Courage & Wisdom. Save the USA!!!" Trump tweeted.
The unusual and unprecedented move by Texas has now come to a legal dead end but it remains to be seen what impact the verdict will have. This is a pivotal moment in the history of America. The country stands starkly divided, much like in the years of the Civil War, when 11 eleven states wanted to break away after Abraham Lincoln was elected president. 'Secession' is now an open demand from the ultra right Republicans while the Democrats are trending #SeditiousSeventeen on Twitter.
Deep Division
Prominent Republican commentator Rush Limbaugh captured the essence of the crisis pointedly. Limbaugh said there cannot be a peaceful coexistence between liberal and conservative America, going as far as to suggest that the right wing states must consider breaking away from the Union.
If the outcome in these states - Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia -- were different Trump would have earned a second term. The suit says the election in these states was tainted and the result must be thrown out, allowing the legislators to elect a different body of presidential electoral college.
Red states like Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina Utah, Arizona, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Florida and Missourie are supporting Texas in the case.
On the other side, as many as 22 blue states stand together. These states are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
