Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett is once again facing fierce backlash from President Donald Trump’s political base after joining Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s three liberal justices on Monday in a ruling that dealt a setback to Republican efforts to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots that arrive days or weeks after election night.Writing for the majority, Barrett said federal election statutes establish when voters must cast their ballots but “say nothing about ballot receipt.”
“The electorate’s choice is made when voting is complete, not when ballots are received,” Barrett wrote. “Election-day statutes say nothing about ballot receipt, and we cannot add to the words Congress chose.”The ruling marked a significant defeat for Trump and the RNC, which had argued the decision would have nationwide implications for election administration ahead of the November midterm elections.Conservatives reacted almost immediately.“A shockingly wrong opinion,” Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) wrote on X. “Justice Barrett joins with the liberal justices to hold that federal election law does not preempt states who allow late mail-in ballots to be counted. This is terrible for election integrity. Another reason we must pass the full SAVE American Act.”
