Nevada Supreme Court Rejects Trump Campaign’s Election Lawsuit And Voter Fraud Claims
Topline
The Nevada Supreme Court struck down a Trump campaign lawsuit alleging widespread voter fraud and seeking to overturn the election result in a 6-0 ruling late Tuesday, dealing yet another blow to the campaign’s overwhelmingly unsuccessful post-election legal effort and likely concluding the challenges to the election results in the state, ensuring that President-elect Joe Biden’s victory will stand.
President Donald Trump speaks during the Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Summit in Washington, DC on … [+]
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Key Facts
The Trump campaign had filed a lawsuit on behalf of Trump electors in Nevada, which alleged issues with an electronic signature matching program and widespread voter fraud, including votes cast twice and votes cast by dead voters.
A district court in Nevada shot down the campaign’s claims Friday, finding “that there is no credible or reliable evidence that the 2020 General Election in Nevada was affected by fraud.”
The Trump campaign then appealed the ruling to the Nevada Supreme Court, claiming the lower court judge ignored “substantial evidence” proving fraud.
In the judges’ unanimous decision Tuesday, the Nevada Supreme Court affirmed the district court’s decision, ruling the district court’s judgement of the case was proper and correct.
The case was the last major outstanding election lawsuit in Nevada, according to Democratic Party attorney Marc Elias, and its conclusion Tuesday means Nevada will meet the “safe harbor” deadline that ensures its slate of electors must be treated as “conclusive” by Congress and can’t be challenged.
Crucial Quote
“To prevail on this appeal, appellants must demonstrate error of law, findings of fact not supported by substantial evidence or an abuse of discretion in the admission or rejection of evidence by the district court,” the Nevada Supreme Court order said. “We are not convinced they have done so.”
Tangent
Ahead of the state Supreme Court’s ruling, the Trump campaign had attempted to disqualify one judge, Justice James Hardesty, from hearing the case, because the justice had previously congratulated Nevada’s Republican Secretary of State on “carrying out an extraordinarily successful election.” The campaign’s motion was denied, though another justice on the court did recuse herself because of her personal relationship with some of the Democratic defendants in the case.
Chief Critic
The Nevada Republican Party said in a statement it was “extremely disappointed” by the Supreme Court ruling, saying the higher court had “rushed to judgment in the same flawed manner” as the district court, “failing to adequately consider thousands of pages of critical important evidence.” “We were not afforded an opportunity to write our brief or argue the case in front of the Supreme Court,” the party said, which they believe is “truly unprecedented, shocking and extraordinary.”
Key Background
The Nevada Supreme Court ruling was one of more than 50 court cases the Trump campaign and GOP has lost in its post-election efforts to challenge Biden’s win in battleground states, as courts across the country have nearly-unanimously struck down Republicans’ allegations of voter fraud and impropriety. (The Trump campaign has only won one lawsuit, which concerned a small number of mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania.) The ruling was also one of multiple court losses to come on Tuesday alone, as the Arizona Supreme Court also struck down a Republican-led challenge of the state’s election results, which was led by the state’s Republican Party chairwoman, and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an effort by Pennsylvania GOP candidates to block the state’s election results.
What To Watch For
It’s still possible the Trump campaign could appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, as Republicans in other states have done after unfavorable state Supreme Court rulings, though there is no indication yet they will do so. There are still several other major outstanding battleground state court cases, including Trump campaign lawsuits at both the federal and state level in Wisconsin and multiple lawsuits from former Trump legal advisor Sidney Powell.
Further Reading
Trump Campaign Has ‘No Credible Or Reliable Evidence’ Proving Voter Fraud, Nevada Court Rules (Forbes)
NV Supreme Court denies Trump campaign lawsuit seeking overturn of presidential election (Nevada Independent)
Trump And The GOP Have Now Lost 50 Post-Election Lawsuits (Forbes)
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