Wisconsin Supreme Court dismisses Trump election suit

Dec. 14 (UPI) -- The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a lawsuit by President Donald Trump's campaign seeking to overturn the state's presidential election results.

The 4-3 decision upholding the state's 10 electoral votes for President-Elect Joe Biden came hours before the Electoral College was set to meet to cast them.

The decision was split between three liberal-backed and three conservative-backed justices with conservative Justice Brian Hagedorn delivering the majority opinion. Hagedorn wrote in the opinion that Trump's challenges to the state's presidential election results were "meritless" and too late.

The petitioners, including Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Trump campaign, had sought to invalidate 220,000 Wisconsin voters ballots in Dane and Milwaukee counties, including four types of absentee ballots, Hagedorn noted.

One type was voters who were allowed to vote without providing photo ID by declaring themselves, "indefinitely confined" due to age or disability amid the COVID-19 pandemic with a witness' signature on the ballot envelope replacing the photo ID requirement. Another was all in-person absentee ballots, with petitioners alleging they should be invalidated since they weren't a "written application." Third, they alleged municipal officials improperly added witness information on ballots. And fourth, they alleged all ballots collected at "Democracy in the Park," two City of Madison events in the fall were cast illegally.

Hagedorn referred to the petitioners collectively as 'the Campaign,' in the ruling.

"We conclude the Campaign is not entitled to the relief it seeks," Hagedorn wrote. "The challenge to the indefinitely confined voter ballots is meritless on its face."

Hagedorn added that the other three challenges were unreasonably delayed.

Another Trump lawsuit challenging the state's presidential election results was thrown out by a federal judge over the weekend.