Trump loses election lawsuits in Pennsylvania and Michigan, drops Arizona case


Judges have dealt double blows to President Trump's longshot attempts to disqualify enough ballots to win the presidency.
On Friday, a Michigan judge rejected an injunction claiming election irregularities were rampant in Detroit's Wayne County. Trump supporters' lawsuit claimed the vote count was plagued by fraud, but Circuit Court Judge Timothy Kenny said the suit didn't prove he should halt certification of the vote or order it to be audited, Bloomberg reports.
Also on Friday, a federal appeals court in Philadelphia rejected Republicans' attempt to toss out 9,300 mail-in ballots that arrived late, CBS Pittsburgh reports. The suit was filed by legal group Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, which withdrew from representing Trump's campaign earlier Friday.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
And as President-elect Joe Biden's lead grew in Arizona, the Trump campaign dropped its legal challenges throughout Maricopa County, CNBC reports. "The tabulation of votes statewide has rendered unnecessary a judicial ruling as to the presidential electors," Trump's campaign said in a Friday filing. Biden's leads in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia are even wider than his edge in Arizona.
Trump did secure a small win Thursday when a Pennsylvania court ruled election officials couldn't count a small number of mail ballots from people who failed to provide proper identification, as Pennsylvania's secretary of state didn't have the authority to extend that deadline in the first place. The combined number of ballots Trump's campaign disputed in Pennsylvania would be far from enough to negate Biden's margin.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Storm warning
Feature The U.S. is headed for an intense hurricane season. Will a shrunken FEMA and NOAA be able to respond?
-
U.S. v. Skrmetti: Did the trans rights movement overreach?
Feature The Supreme Court upholds a Tennessee law that bans transgender care for minors, dealing a blow to trans rights
-
How would the Trump administration denaturalize immigrant citizens?
Today's Big Question Using civil courts lowers the burden of proof
-
IAEA: Iran could enrich uranium 'within months'
Speed Read The chief United Nations nuclear inspector, Rafael Grossi, says Iran could be enriching uranium again soon
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Iran nukes program set back months, early intel suggests
Speed Read A Pentagon assessment says US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites only set the program back by months, not years. This contradicts President Donald Trump's claim.
-
Trump says Iran and Israel agreed to ceasefire
Speed Read This followed a night of Israeli airstrikes on Tehran and multiple waves of missiles fired by Iran
-
Israel strikes Iran, killing military and nuclear chiefs
Speed Read Israeli officials said the attack was a 'preemptive' strike on Iran's nuclear program
-
Israel deports Thunberg after seizing Gaza aid boat
speed read The Swedish activist was delivering food and medical aid to Palestine, highlighting the growing humanitarian crisis there
-
Colombian senator shot on streets of Bogotá
speed read Miguel Uribe Turbay, who has announced his candidacy for next year's presidential election, was shot at a rally
-
Trump says Putin vowed retaliation for Kyiv strike
speed read The Russian president intends to respond to Ukraine's weekend drone strikes on Moscow's warplanes