Appeal court dismisses Trump camp's lawsuit in Pennsylvania

[uk666]

Appeal court dismisses Trump camp's lawsuit in Pennsylvania

A federal appeals court on Friday rejected a request by President Donald Trump's campaign to block President-elect Joe Biden from being declared the winner of the battleground state of Pennsylvania, dealing another significant setback to Trump's bid to overturn the results of the November 3rd election.  

Trump's lawyers vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court despite the judge´s assessment that the 'campaign's claims have no merit.'

'Free, fair elections are the lifeblood of our democracy. Charges of unfairness are serious. But calling an election unfair does not make it so. Charges require specific allegations and then proof. We have neither here,' Judge Stephanos Bibas wrote for the three-judge panel.

The three judges on the panel were all appointed by Republican presidents, and Bibas, a former University of Pennsylvania law professor, was appointed by Trump. 

Pennsylvania certified Biden, who won the state's popular vote, as its winner this week. Under Pennsylvania law, the candidate who wins the popular vote in the state gets all of the state's 20 electoral votes.

Trump has refused to concede to his Democratic rival and continues to claim, without evidence, widespread voter fraud.

The case had been argued last week in a lower court by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who insisted during five hours of oral arguments that the 2020 presidential election had been marred by widespread fraud in Pennsylvania. However, Giuliani failed to offer any tangible proof of that in court.

For many observers, the Trump campaign’s attempts to discredit the US election following the President’s loss is growing more and more bizarre. 

Many wondered if the network of embittered officials and lawyers surrounding the President could top staging a press conference at a garden centre called - Four Seasons Total Landscaping, instead of at the prestigious Four Seasons hotel.

But Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani seemingly managed just that on Thursday afternoon when he appeared to have a hair dye malfunction during another notable press briefing. The YouTube video of the press conference was hastily removed by the Trump campaign. 

At one point Mr Giuliani alleged – without proof – that Joe Biden, US president-elect, had conspired in plotting to steal the election from Mr Trump. 

Attorney Sidney Powell also made the baseless allegation that US adversaries from Venezuela, Cuba and China had meddled in the election through a voting system that systematically robbed Mr Trump of votes. 

She even claimed Mr Trump had won a “landslide”, despite Mr Biden decisively securing a decisive electoral college victory. 

It all comes against the backdrop of increasingly frantic attempts by the the Trump campaign to undermine the election result, which saw Mr Biden receive more votes than any other presidential candidate in history. 

Election officials across the country have said repeatedly there was no widespread fraud. 

Trump perhaps hopes a Supreme Court he helped steer toward a conservative 6-3 majority would be more open to his pleas, especially since the high court upheld Pennsylvania's decision to accept mail-in ballots through Nov. 6 by only a 4-4 vote last month. Since then, Trump nominee Amy Coney Barrett has joined the court.

Mr Biden is projected to defeat President Trump 306 to 232 in the US electoral college, which determines who becomes president - far above the 270 he needs to win.

Time is running out as states have until 8 December to resolve election disputes before the Electoral College meets on 14 December to formally declare the victor.

President Trump's refusal to concede has upended the process that normally follows a US election. However, it is not a requirement for Mr Trump to concede in order for Mr Biden to be sworn in as the 46th US president.