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No justice indicated any endorsement of Texas' arguments. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas issued a statement saying they would have allowed Texas’ to file its case under a rarely-used procedure for interstate disputes, but they said “would not grant other relief.”
The decision brings an abrupt, unceremonious end to Trump’s legal effort to essentially scrap the democratic process in order to preserve his presidency, a six-week-long crusade in which he has spread false conspiracies about voter fraud to drive up distrust of the U.S. election system. Trump dubbed the Supreme Court gambit “the big one” and had publicly pressed the justices to rule for him to “save America.”
Texas’s audacious legal move, lodged by its scandal-plagued attorney general Ken Paxton, won Trump’s endorsement and the backing of 126 Republican members of the House, including GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy. However, the attempt also prompted an angry reaction from the targeted states and led many Democrats and some GOP officials to denounce the effort as a dangerous assault on the foundation of American democracy.
"Every American who cares about the rule of law should take comfort that the Supreme Court — including all three of President Trump’s picks — closed the book on the nonsense," Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) tweeted Friday evening.
The Biden campaign praised the court's decision to reject "the latest of Donald Trump and his allies’ attacks on the democratic process."
"This is no surprise — dozens of judges, election officials from both parties, and Trump's own Attorney General have dismissed his baseless attempts to deny that he lost the election," Biden campaign spokesperson Michael Gwin said in a statement.
Paxton said in a statement: “It is unfortunate that the Supreme Court decided not to take this case and determine the constitutionality of these four states’ failure to follow federal and state election law. I will continue to tirelessly defend the integrity and security of our elections and hold accountable those who shirk established election law for their own convenience.”
The Supreme Court’s action is likely the end of the line for Trump’s legal push to reverse his defeat. Dozens of courts at the local, state and federal level have swatted down his team’s and his allies’ legal efforts to scrap the results of the election, with many judges issuing forceful rejections, noting that the campaign’s arguments relied on conjecture and conspiracy theory.
As late as Friday morning, Trump had directed a public pressure campaign toward the high court, urging the justices to show “courage” and embrace his attempt to block Biden’s presidency. Trump has long made clear he’s hopeful his three appointees to the court will support his push.
“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,” Trump tweeted Friday. “They must show great Courage & Wisdom. Save the USA!!!”
"The Supreme Court really let us down. No Wisdom, No Courage!" the president said in a tweet late Friday night.
The high court’s rejection of the Trump-backed legal effort came in a routine order list distributed following a regularly scheduled, private conference of the justices earlier Friday. The momentous, one-page issuance from the court denying Trump’s bid to maneuver his way into a second term went on to disclose that the justices agreed to hear a securities-law suit against investment giant Goldman Sachs.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany slammed the nine justices and vowed the fight for “election integrity” would continue.
“There’s no way to say it other than they dodged,” McEnany said in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “They hid behind procedure and they refused to use their authority to enforce the constitution.”
Some of the president's allies pledged to continue their fight.
"Now all eyes are on January 6th," Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said in a Fox News interview as he alluded to a challenge that several House Republicans plan to make when Congress certifies the Electoral College votes. "We still think that there is evidence that needs to be considered."
"This decision will have far reaching ramifications for the future of our constitutional republic," Texas Republican Party Chairman Allen West said in a statement. "Perhaps law-abiding states should bond together and form a Union of states that will abide by the constitution."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted the GOP representatives who signed onto the amicus brief in an attempt to overturn the election.
“The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House," Pelosi said in a statement. "Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."
Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.), a former Republican and frequent Trump critic, also weighed in with a tweet: "The election fraud hoax will go down as one of the most embarrassing and dishonorable episodes in American political history, and countless Republican officials went along with it and promoted it."
Evan Semones and Renuka Rayasam contributed to this report.