Judges Dismiss Trump Campaign Lawsuit in Georgia

A judge in Chatham County, Georgia, on Thursday dismissed a Trump campaign lawsuit over the state’s handling of absentee ballots.

Chatham County Superior Court Judge James Bass tossed the lawsuit after only an hourlong hearing.

“Having read and considered said petition, all argument and evidence of record, including the evidence presented at the hearing, and the applicable law, the Court finds that there is no evidence that the ballots referenced in the petition were received after 7:00 p.m. on election day, thereby making those ballots invalid,” said Bass. “Additionally, there is no evidence that the Chatham County Board of Elections or the Chatham County Board of Registrars has failed to comply with the law.”

The Trump campaign said the lawsuit sought all state counties to “separate any and all late-arriving ballots from all legally cast ballots to ensure a free, fair election in which only legal, valid ballots count.”

There are approximately 47,277 ballots still outstanding as of 2:40 P.M. EST today, according to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

With counting continuing in numerous counties throughout #Georgia, as of 2:40 p.m. today there are approximately 47,277 ballots still outstanding.#SecureTheVote

— GA Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (@GaSecofState) November 5, 2020

In addition to Georgia, a Michigan judge rejected a lawsuit brought by the Trump campaign aimed at halting vote-counting in the state.

Reuters reports:

Michigan Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens made the ruling during a court hearing on Thursday. She said she planned to issue a written ruling on Friday.

Campaign officials for Trump have said they filed the Michigan lawsuit to stop the counting there and gain greater access to the tabulation process.

Trump Campaign manager Bill Stepien announced the Michigan lawsuit on Wednesday, alleging that it had not been granted “meaningful access” to observe ballot counting.

“We have filed suit today in the Michigan Court of Claims to halt counting until meaningful access has been granted,” said Stepien. “We also demand to review those ballots which were opened and counted while we did not have meaningful access. President Trump is committed to ensuring that all legal votes are counted in Michigan and everywhere else.”

Former Vice President Joe Biden is projected to win Michigan, according to The Associated Press.