A federal appeals court in Philadelphia blocked the Trump campaign on Friday from challenging a lower court decision that attempted to stop, or potentially reverse, the state’s certification of the election results.
“Free, fair elections are the lifeblood of our democracy,” Judge Stephanos Bibas, a Trump appointee, wrote in the 21-page ruling. “Charges of unfairness are serious. But calling an election unfair does not make it so. Charges require specific allegations and then proof. We have neither here.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) signed off on the 20 selected electors on Tuesday after the state certified its results, which granted President-elect Joe Biden a victory in the Keystone State.
Last Saturday, Federal District Judge Matthew Brann decided the Trump campaign’s lawsuit held no merit and upheld the state’s certification process. The three-judge panel on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Brann’s decision.
Following Friday’s decision, Trump campaign senior legal adviser Jenna Ellis indicated on Twitter that she and Rudy Giuliani planned to appeal the case before the Supreme Court.
Ellis accused the “activist machinery in Pennsylvania” of covering up “allegations of massive fraud” — evidence of which has yet to be provided. She then added: “On to SCOTUS!”
