Supreme Court denies GOP request to block Pennsylvania election certification

The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a request from Pennsylvania Republicans, including Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), to block the Keystone State from certifying its presidential election results.

Legal losses have become common for President Trump and his allies as they seek to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's victory, but this one is significant, since it's the first election-related dispute to reach the high court since the race was called.

It's not exactly clear what each individual justice thought of the plaintiffs' final brief, but there were no public dissents, and the decision to reject it — which was revealed via a one-line order — reportedly took just 34 minutes to make, indicating there was little drama.

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There have been claims from both Trump supporters and critics alike that, with the balance of the court tilting conservative, the justices could, in fact, find a way to flip the results. That idea was always likely extreme, but some analysts argue the latest ruling makes them look even more hyperbolic. Tim O"Donnell