Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Judicial Watch Appeal on Post-Election Day Ballot Counting

Landmark Lawsuit on Ballot Deadlines

• 🏛️ Judicial Watch is appealing a court decision regarding Illinois' law that allows ballots arriving up to 14 days after Election Day to be counted.
• ⚖️ The core of the challenge is that federal law establishes a singular Election Day, and ballots arriving after this date are considered unlawful.

Mississippi Case: A Major Victory

• 🚀 A significant win was achieved in the Mississippi case, where the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that counting ballots received up to 5 days after Election Day is preempted by federal law.
• 📌 This appellate ruling established that federal law designates a singular day for elections, and ballots must be received by state officials on that day.
• 📈 This decision marked the first appellate ruling finding the counting of ballots after Election Day to be contrary to federal law.

Legal Avenues and Future Implications

• 🧐 The Fifth Circuit rejected a request for a rehearing by the full court (en banc), with a split decision indicating the importance of the case.
• 🌍 The ruling in the Fifth Circuit means that states within its jurisdiction, like Mississippi and potentially Texas, must stop counting ballots that arrive after Election Day.
• 🎯 This victory strengthens Judicial Watch's ongoing cases in California and Illinois and signals a need for change in at least 18 other states that permit post-Election Day ballot receipt.