Members of both parties hail Supreme Court decision

Elected officials from both parties took to social media to praise the Supreme Court’s Friday decision rejecting a lawsuit from Texas seeking to challenge the election results in four pivotal states, though some allies of President Trump vowed to continue their fight against votes in favor of President-elect Joe Biden. 

The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that Texas did not have the legal authority to litigate over how other states conduct their elections. 

The lawsuit, which received backing from 18 GOP state attorneys general and 126 House Republicans, sought to overturn Biden’s wins in Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania based on unsubstantiated claims that the results were invalid due to widespread voter fraud. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) released a statement Friday evening following the decision, writing that the high court “has rightly dismissed out of hand the extreme, unlawful and undemocratic GOP lawsuit to overturn the will of millions of American voters.”

“The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House,” the top House Democrat continued. “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,” she added.

Pelosi also shared the statement on Twitter, writing that Republicans who supported the lawsuit “must once and for all end their election subversion – immediately.” 

The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this unlawful & undemocratic GOP lawsuit have brought dishonor to the House and must once and for all end their election subversion – immediately. https://t.co/xbYt5y2op1

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) December 12, 2020

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) also tweeted following the Supreme Court decision, writing, “Exactly how many times does Donald Trump want Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to win this election?”

In another tweet, Schumer added that Biden and Harris “will be sworn in as President and Vice President of the United States on January 20.”

Exactly how many times does Donald Trump want Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to win this election? https://t.co/zpfxFpwBzN

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) December 12, 2020

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be sworn in as President and Vice President of the United States on January 20.

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) December 12, 2020

Others issued direct rebukes at GOP leaders who backed the lawsuit, with Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell (Calif.) specifically calling out House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for being among the lawmakers to sign on to an amicus brief in support of the election challenge Friday. 

“It’s official: @GOPLeader McCarthy cemented his role in history next to Confederate leader Jefferson Davis,” Swalwell tweeted. “He fought the will of the American people and lost. #SCOTUS ruled against McCarthy’s effort to steal your vote.”

It’s official: @GOPLeader McCarthy cemented his role in history next to Confederate leader Jefferson Davis. He fought the will of the American people and lost. #SCOTUS ruled against McCarthy’s effort to steal your vote. https://t.co/MYSdjf8N3J

— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) December 12, 2020

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) tweeted, “Republicans who supported it compromised their beliefs, ideology, and oaths. They stand for nothing. Care about nothing. Except themselves.”

The Texas case was not a close call. At all.

Just an effort to overturn a democratic election dressed up in shabby legal clothing.

Republicans who supported it compromised their beliefs, ideology, and oaths.

They stand for nothing. Care about nothing.

Except themselves.

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) December 12, 2020

Fellow Republicans also joined in condemning the legal challenge. In a statement released Friday, GOP Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.) praised the Supreme Court. 

“Since Election Night, a lot of people have been confusing voters by spinning Kenyan Birther-type, ‘Chavez rigged the election from the grave’ conspiracy theories, but 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,” Sasse said in a statement. 

This comes as other prominent GOP members have condemned the actions of their fellow Republicans in backing the legal challenge. 

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a former Texas Supreme Court justice, said this week that it is inappropriate for states to interfere in the laws of other states.

“I do not understand the legal theory. I don’t want other states having a chance to change Texas law based on a similar effort. If you can do it for the election, you can do it if somebody wanted to challenge, for example, Texas law on the Second Amendment,” he said.

Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) said Thursday that he agreed with Cornyn’s concerns.

“I just don’t know why a state like Texas, which never wants anybody telling them what to do, now wants to tell a bunch of other states how to run their elections. I doubt the Supreme Court will take it up,” he said. 

The divide among Republicans in their responses to Trump’s legal challenges was amplified following the Supreme Court decision, with Trump lawyer and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani indicating in an interview on Newsmax on Friday that the president’s legal team will continue filing lawsuits to subvert the election results. 

“The case wasn’t rejected on the merits, the case was rejected on standing. So the answer to that is to bring the case now to the district court by the president, by some of the electors, alleging some of the same facts where there would be standing,” he said. 

Republican Rep. Mo Brooks (Ala.), who previously said he would vote to challenge the certification of the election results, tweeted Saturday morning that “Congress is the ultimate arbiter of who wins presidential contests, not the Supreme Court.”

.@laurenboebert is right! Congress is the ultimate arbiter of who wins presidential contests, not the Supreme Court.

America’s Founders didn’t want unelected, dictatorial judges making these decision. Judiciary isn’t equipped or empowered to decide contested federal elections. https://t.co/cDtrKGFwXU

— Mo Brooks (@RepMoBrooks) December 12, 2020

Texas GOP Chairman Allen West went so far as to suggest that “law-abiding states” should “form a Union” following the Supreme Court decision, writing in a statement, “This decision establishes a precedent that says states can violate the US constitution and not be held accountable.” 

“This decision will have far reaching ramifications for the future of our constitutional republic,” West added.