Without dissent, SCOTUS tosses Kelly challenge to Pa. election results, mail-in ballots

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The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a last minute challenge to Pennsylvania’s 2020 election results and its 2019 mail-in ballot law Tuesday.

The suit sought to have the election results decertified by invalidating the law and nearly 2.6 million mail-in ballots — disproportionately Democrat — case under it, arguing that the law itself was illegally passed by state lawmakers.

Such a ruling would have eliminated Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s 80,000-vote edge over President Donald Trump, a Republican.

The case was brought by U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, from northwestern Pennsylvania as well as failed congressional candidate Sean Parnell, who challenged U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, D-17th in the general election. 

The ruling from the nine-member high court had no dissent. Kelly’s case has earlier been denied by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

A number of legal challenges to Pennsylvania results remain. They include one filed Tuesday by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, which asked the Supreme Court to disallow electoral votes from Pennsylvania and three other swing states over mail-in ballots.

A challenge in state courts to the election result, which claims voter fraud, brought by nine Republican lawmakers on Monday is also still pending.

So far, cases challenging the 2020 election results have uniformly been tossed out by federal judges for lack of evidence. That includes a federal lawsuit specifically targeting Pennsylvania’s results that was denied Nov. 21. The Trump campaign is appealing that case as well.

Trump will appeal Pa. federal court decision dismissing attempt to block Pa. vote certification