The U.S. Supreme Court rejected on Monday a Republican challenge to President Joe Biden‘s executive order aimed at expanding voter registration access.
The case, Keefer, Dawn, et al. v. Biden, was filed by Republican lawmakers from Pennsylvania, along with other GOP secretaries of state and members of Congress. They contended that President Biden’s 2021 executive order unlawfully exceeded presidential authority by mandating that federal agencies provide voter registration services, infringing upon laws enacted by both Congress and the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
This decision comes at a critical time, with the 2024 election fast approaching and voter access remaining a contentious issue.
In addition to rejecting the petition, the Court also denied several motions from Republican groups, including Michigan Fair Elections, PA Fair Elections, and the Claremont Institute’s Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, which sought to file briefs as amici curiae (friends of the court).
The Biden administration’s executive order, issued in 2021, instructed federal agencies to promote voter registration as part of their services, aligning with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. This directive is seen as part of Biden’s broader effort to increase voter participation ahead of the 2024 election. Republicans, however, claimed that the order infringed on state powers to control election procedures.
In March 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania dismissed the lawsuit, citing the plaintiffs’ lack of standing. U.S. District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson noted that the plaintiffs, including individual state lawmakers, did not demonstrate a direct injury as required for standing.
Following this, the plaintiffs sought intervention from the Supreme Court.
This case marks another loss for Republican efforts to challenge voter laws and procedures. It follows a series of legal defeats over the past few years, including failed lawsuits alleging widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.
The Supreme Court also dismissed other Republican appeals on Monday, including claims involving voting machines made by Dominion Voting Systems, which some conservatives falsely accused of contributing to former President Donald Trump‘s defeat.
In one case, the court turned away an appeal from Fulton County, Pennsylvania, that questioned a Pennsylvania High Court ruling involving voting machines. The other rejected appeal involved claims from people around the country that Denver-based Dominion tried to silence them.
Despite these legal setbacks, Republican leaders continue to push back against federal efforts to expand voter registration, which they argue threatens the integrity of elections.
However, courts, including the Supreme Court, have consistently upheld Biden’s policies as constitutionally sound.
People line up to view oral arguments on the first day of a new term of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on October 7, 2024. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected on Monday a Republican challenge to President Joe Biden’s executive order aimed at expanding voter registration access.
Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
