Commotion: Trump Administration and Election-Related Lawsuits

Christopher Frawley

Politics

10th November 2020

Commotion: Trump Administration and Election-Related Lawsuits

One of many included a lawsuit to stop counting votes in Michigan (Getty Images).

The Claim

The Trump administration has filed a series of lawsuits aiming to redirect the course of the presidential election.

News posted on

Emerging story

Almost a week after Election Day in the United States, commotion around the position of President has not even come close to settling down. President Donald Trump has not conceded the election to rival Joe Biden, despite near-universal projections of a Democratic victory.

Instead, Trump has engaged in a sweeping series of lawsuits in an effort to undermine supposed voter fraud which (according to him) resulted in an illegitimate President-Elect Joe Biden victory. Thus far, evidence of deliberate election interference has been minimal and weak in the eyes of judges.

Said lawsuits have been filed in Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. The last of these has been the subject of six lawsuits since Election Day. Of the numerous legal cases filed, three of them have been called in favor of Trump, while five have been unsuccessful. Several are awaiting decisions or have been appealed. You can read more about the details of these cases here.

Misbar’s Analysis

Misbar’s investigation found that the Trump administration’s lawsuits are still ongoing. It remains to be seen how successful the legal challenges will be, and if it’s possible for Trump to regain the upper hand in the presidential election. Some, such as Senator Ted Cruz, have speculated that a win for the Republican incumbent is still plausible.

According to a number of lawyers at the Jones Day firm (contracted by the Trump Administration), the objective of the litigation is to erode public confidence in the election results. At least one member of the Porter Wright firm held similar views on the potential ramifications of having Trump as a client in this matter.

There is some speculation that Trump’s efforts to undermine the election results may actually backfire and make Biden’s win more credible if they are unsuccessful.