President Donald Trump has asked judges to put a brief pause on a federal election trial so his campaign can challenge a court ruling that bars him from bringing in evidence of possible voter fraud.
The Trump campaign is trying to challenge a decision by Chief U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn in Texas, which found that Texas does not have the authority to challenge the election of another state. In her ruling, Lynn also stated that the Trump campaign had not provided sufficient evidence that a constitutional wrong had been committed in the 2020 election and that she did not believe the campaign had the standing to pursue its claims.
In an appeal filed late Tuesday, Trump lawyers argued that Lynn had effectively barred them from arguing their case on the merits. The campaign argued that this was not appropriate, as they had no “reasonable time” to put together evidence or arguments before Lynn issued her ruling.
In asking for a pause in the trial, the Trump lawyers suggested the case could come back to the trial court after a higher appellate court had ruled. The pause in the case would not necessarily mean the court agreed with the Trump campaign, only that the lawyers should have a chance to respond to Lynn’s ruling prior to proceeding with the trial.
The move marks the latest attempt by the Trump campaign to contest the results of the election, which President-elect Joe Biden won by more than 7 million votes in the popular vote count and 306 electoral votes. In recent weeks, Trump and his allies have filed numerous lawsuits in various states contesting the outcome, although none have been successful so far.
The Supreme Court has declined to intervene in any of the Trump-related election-related challenges. Now, with the judges considering Trump’s request for a pause in the trial, the Supreme Court may once again be called upon to consider the issue of whether the Trump campaign has the standing to raise election challenges in the first place.
For now, though, the legal proceedings on the Trump campaign’s challenge will remain on hold until the appeals court rules on the matter. If the appeals court allows the case to proceed, it could set the stage for a dramatic, high-stakes judicial confrontation that could roil the political landscape in the new year.