The US Supreme Court has rejected an unprecedented attempt to throw out election results in four states that was backed by President Donald Trump.
The lawsuit, filed this week by the state of Texas, sought to invalidate results in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
President-elect Joe Biden won all four.
The lawsuit was supported by 18 state attorneys general and 106 Republican members of Congress.
But in a brief order rejecting the bid, the Supreme Court ruled that Texas did not have legal standing to bring the case.
The ruling represents a setback for Mr Trump, who has previously suggested that the result of November’s Presidential election would be settled in the Supreme Court.
The court also rejected a separate legal challenge against Mr Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania earlier this week, dismissing it in a one-sentence ruling.
Mr Trump has made repeated unproven assertions that “illegal votes” cost him a second presidential term.
Since the election, Mr Trump and his supporters have launched dozens of lawsuits questioning the results of the election. None have come close to overturning Mr Biden’s victory.
The Democratic candidate defeated Mr Trump by a margin of 306 to 232 votes in the US Electoral College, which chooses the US president. Mr Biden won seven million more votes than the president nationwide.
The Electoral College is expected to meet on Monday, 14th December to formally elect Mr Biden as the 46th president of the US.
The lawsuit was filed on 8th December by the Republican Attorney-General of Texas, Ken Paxton – an ally of Mr Trump. It was supported by the president who filed a motion to intervene the next day making him a plaintiff in the case.
Texas alleged that the results in those states were unlawful because of changes to voting procedures to help Americans cast their ballots during the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Paxton’s lawsuit asked the Supreme Court to allow the legislatures of those states – which are all controlled by Republicans – to determine who should get their Electoral College votes.
But on 11th December, the four states in a filing asked the justices to reject the lawsuit, which they said had no legal grounds. The Supreme Court agreed.
“Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognisable interest in the manner in which another state conducts its elections,” the court said in its ruling.
Before the ruling, legal experts were sceptical of the lawsuit’s chances of success. But just hours before the ruling, Mr Trump appeared optimistic, urging the Supreme Court to show “great Wisdom and Courage” when delivering its verdict on the lawsuit.
“If the Supreme Court shows great Wisdom and Courage, the American People will win perhaps the most important case in history, and our Electoral Process will be respected again!,” he tweeted.
“There’s no way to say it other than they dodged,” said White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany, referring to the judges after the ruling.
“They dodged, they hid behind procedure, and they refused to use their authority to enforce the constitution.”
