Live politics updates: SCOTUS sets Tuesday deadline in Trump ally's Pennsylvania election challenge
By Matthew Brown, USA TODAY
USA TODAY's coverage of the 2020 election and President-elect Joe Biden's transition continues this week as he rolls out more of his picks for top jobs in his administration and the final states certify their vote counts before the Electoral College ballots are officially cast on Dec. 14.
President Donald Trump has cleared the way for Biden's team to use federal resources and get briefings during the transition, although Trump has yet to formally concede the race.
Rudy Giuliani tests positive for COVID-19
Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, has tested positive for COVID-19. Trump shared the news by tweet, writing "Get better soon Rudy, we will carry on!!!"
Since the presidential election, Giuliani, 76, has traveled the country challenging the election results and integrity of the electoral system itself. During much of his travels, Giuliani was seen not wearing a mask and flouting social distancing guidelines.
Giuliani, 76, was admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center on Sunday. Andrew Giuliani tweeted that his father was "resting, getting great care and feeling well."
Later Sunday, Giuliani expressed appreciation for "the prayers and kind wishes" on Twitter, adding that he is "recovering quickly and keeping up with everything."
Along with a cadre of lawyers affiliated with the Trump campaign, Giuliani has held regular news conferences claiming, without evidence, various conspiracy theories and baseless allegations of mass voter fraud.
– Matthew Brown
Supreme Court moves deadline on GOP Rep. Mike Kelly's emergency request in Pa. election suit
The Supreme Court on Sunday changed a key deadline in Republican Rep. Mike Kelly's lawsuit seeking to overturn the results of the presidential election in Pennsylvania from Wednesday to Tuesday. That schedule change was significant because Tuesday is the cutoff for states to resolve any election disputes, known as the "safe harbor" deadline under federal election law.
The safe harbor deadline also holds that Congress cannot challenge any electors named under state law by that date. Some had interpreted the originally scheduled date after that deadline as a sign the high court had no intention of ruling on the appeal.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, on Nov. 24 certified the election results for Biden over Trump. Kelly's longshot appeal claims that the 2019 state law that authorized universal, no-excuses mail-in voting is unconstitutional and that only an amendment to the state constitution would have made universal mail-in voting legal in Pennsylvania.
Kelly and seven other Republicans sued to get the mail-in ballots invalidated or have the courts direct the GOP-controlled Pennsylvania General Assembly to pick Pennsylvania’s 20 presidential electors, who all favor Biden as a result of the election.
On Saturday, the state Supreme Court unanimously dismissed Kelly's case, ruling he waited too long to challenge the 2019 law, which the General Assembly passed with bipartisan support.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, an appointee of Republican George W. Bush, filed the scheduling order. He handles emergency requests that originate in the states that make up the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, whose jurisdiction includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
– Ed Palattella, Erie Times-News
Posted By: Dea. Ron Gray Sr.
Monday, December 7th 2020 at 9:21AM
You can also
click
here to view all posts by this author...
