INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana's attorney general and attorney general-elect are calling for the U.S. Supreme Court to consider a lawsuit by the state of Texas that challenges election results in four states where President Donald Trump lost in the 2020 election.
On Tuesday, Attorney General-elect Todd Rokita asked the court to hear the lawsuit that alleges Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin violated by the U.S Constitution by changing election laws to provide voters with expanded mail-in voting and other options amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lawsuit asks the Supreme Court to invalidate the combined 62 Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden, which would swing the election to Trump — a move that would be unprecedented in American history.
"Millions of citizens in Indiana have deep concerns regarding the conduct of the 2020 Presidential election," Rokita said. "Deeply rooted in these concerns is the fact that some states appear to have conducted their elections with a disregard to the U.S. Constitution.
"Only the U.S. Supreme Court can settle this real controversy among the states. Only by taking up this case and allowing a full and fair hearing of the facts will the Supreme Court help restore the confidence of the American people in our elections."
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Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill followed Wednesday and asked the Supreme Court to hear the case brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton "quickly."
"By doing so, the Court will help ensure the integrity of the presidential election and guide public officials everywhere in the proper discharge of their election-related duties," Hill said. "Our constitutional form of government is secured by the principle of 'one person, one vote' in a free and fair election. Every lawful vote must count, and every illegal vote must not. When voter fraud occurs in any state during a national presidential election, it affects citizens in every other state, including Indiana. We must all work together to protect our American democracy.”
The Supreme Court has asked for responses from the four states to be submitted by 3 p.m. Thursday. According to an Associated Press tally, out of the roughly 50 lawsuits filed around the country contesting the Nov. 3 vote, Trump has lost more than 35 and others are pending.
On Tuesday, the high court refused to hear Trump's appeal over Pennsylvania's election results. Gov. Tom Wolf already has certified Biden’s victory and the state’s 20 electors are scheduled to meet Dec. 14 to cast their votes for the president-elect.
Legal experts have dismissed Paxton's filing as a long shot with little chance of succeeding.
"Anyway, it takes five votes to grant a motion for leave to file — which isn’t going to happen," University of Texas law professor Steve Vladeck said in a tweet. "And it’ll take some time. So chalk this up as mostly a stunt — a dangerous, offensive, and wasteful one, but a stunt nonetheless."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.