On Friday night, the US Supreme Court has decided to allow a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling to stand, which slightly eases voting restrictions for certain voters in the state. The Republican Party had asked the justices to block the call; doing so would likely.
However that gained’t occur. The courtroom’s decision was unanimous, except that Justice Samuel Alito issued a statement clarifying that he and Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch were voting against the GOP’s stance, albeit on narrow procedural grounds.
In the core of this matter, a significant challenge arose from Pennsylvania’s exceptionally stringent regulations governing the return process for mailed ballots by voters. Ballots must be inserted into two envelopes; if the inner envelope is incomplete, the entire poll will be invalid. The state’s highest court ruled in a recent case that individuals whose voter registration was deemed invalid by election officials could still cast a ballot on Election Day, provided they appear at the polling station and submit a provisional ballot.
The potential Republican victory could have far-reaching consequences, potentially disrupting the integrity of future electoral processes. The GOP’s core arguments hinged on an unconventional principle known as the “impartial state legislature doctrine,” which the Supreme Court has consistently rebuffed, yet been endorsed by all but one of its conservative Republican justices.
The Supreme Court was asked to authorize the use of a highly dangerous form of magic, but to their great credit, all nine justices collectively rejected the proposal.
The decision must also offer a modicum of solace to Democrats, who have had every reason to question whether this Court – boasting a 6-3 Republican majority – can be relied upon to impartially adjudicate an intricate election after its prior controversial decisions, including the one where justices effectively condoned President Trump’s numerous criminal activities. Ultimately, this court appears unwilling to entertain any legal principle proffered by the Republican Party.
