Supreme Court preserves extended mail ballot due date in Pennsylvania

[Geee]

The Hill

Pennsylvania Republicans and top officials from the state’s GOP-held legislature had asked the justices to review a state Supreme Court court ruling that requires election officials to accept ballots postmarked by Election Day, as long as they arrive within three days.

The ruling was seen as a win for Democrats in the key battleground state — which President Trump won in 2016 by just over 44,000 votes — since Biden voters are considered more likely than Trump supporters to vote by mail in November.

The Supreme Court on Monday left intact an extended mail-in ballot due date in Pennsylvania, handing a major defeat to Republicans.

The court's four more conservative justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — would have halted a lower court ruling from taking effect, strongly suggesting that Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the three liberal justices to form a 4-4 tie that left in place the lower court's decision.