Supreme Court rejects Republican challenge to election-related executive order
Georgetown University law professor Irv Gornstein suggested earlier this week that America's highest judicial body may face a slew of lawsuits following this year's election.
Yet in a move which is sure to leave conservatives furious, the Supreme Court recently rejected a case brought by GOP officials.
Biden signed wide-ranging executive order in 2021
According to the Associated Press, a challenge was brought by nine Republican secretaries of state and 11 congressional representatives against an executive order signed by President Joe Biden in March of 2021.
The order directed federal agencies to expand access to voter registration along with election information mandated an overhaul of the government's Vote.gov website.
What's more, it called on agency heads to create plans under which federal employees can take time off to vote or and volunteer their time as poll workers.
"Every eligible voter should be able to vote and have it counted. If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide. Let the people vote," the Associated Press quoted Biden as saying at the Martin and Coretta King Unity Breakfast.
Republicans object to food budget being used for voter registration
However, the Republican plaintiffs alleged that Biden's actions were unlawful. They pointed to how the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service told state agencies that providing voter registration services was an allowable expense under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
"Using the nation’s multi-billion-dollar nutrition program to implement the Biden Administration's voter registration scheme is not only a cause for concern, but one that necessitates further scrutiny," they wrote in their brief.
GOP targets a Biden executive order on voter registration ahead of the fall election https://t.co/aCmMGFyFAO
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 22, 2024
Leading the charge was West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner, who was joined by his counterparts from Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and Wyoming.
Pennsylvania governor welcomes Supreme Court ruling
Meanwhile, Fox News reported that Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro's office released a statement celebrating the Supreme Court's decision.
"This petition was yet another bad faith attempt to disenfranchise Pennsylvania voters – and the U.S. Supreme Court made the right decision to deny the Pennsylvania Freedom Caucus petition," Shapiro spokesman Manuel Bonde was quoted as saying.
"Governor Shapiro has consistently fought to protect our democracy – including defeating Donald Trump and his allies in court dozens of times to defend Pennsylvanians’ votes and protect access to the ballot box," Bonde continued.
"Yesterday, election deniers went 0-2 at the U.S. Supreme Court," the Democratic governor's spokesperson went on to declare.