U.S. Supreme Court Rejects GOP Bid To Nullify PA Election Results

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday shot down a request from a Republican congressman and a former House candidate to decertify Pennsylvania's election results.

The court's decision should help sound the death knell to President Donald Trump's attempt to gain a second term in office by attempting to have votes thrown out in states won by President-elect Joe Biden.

The high court's ruling came without comment or dissent on the final day under federal law for states to submit their slates of presidential electors without being subject to potentially being contested in Congress. The court's order read only, "The application for injunctive relief presented to Justice [Samuel] Alito and by him referred to the Court is denied."

The court rejected a petition from Trump ally Rep. Mike Kelly of Butler County and defeated Republican House candidate Sean Parnell, who was unsuccessful in his attempt to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb of Allegheny County in last month's election.

Kelly's lawsuit contended that a state law violated the Pennsylvania constitution by providing for no-excuse mail-in voting. Kelly and Parnell asked the high court to nullify Gov. Tom Wolf's certification of the state's vote.

Attorneys representing Pennsylvania noted that no court has ever nullified a governor's certification of presidential election results.

More than a month after the presidential election, Trump has refused to concede to Biden despite the fact the Democratic former vice president holds a 306-232 edge in Electoral College votes. Trump has not wavered from making baseless claims that the election was fraudulent and that he was the actual victor.

Attorneys for the president's campaign have filed dozens of lawsuits in many states contesting the election results, but have not prevailed in advancing the president's untruthful position. In dismissing the lawsuits, various judges have remarked that the campaign attorneys have presented no evidence of the voter fraud that Trump continues to assert was widespread.

The Electoral College is scheduled to meet next week, with Congress counting the electoral votes on Jan. 6. Biden will be sworn in as the nation's 46th president on Jan. 20.