Georgia Supreme Court denies emergency appeal for GOP-backed ballot rules struck down by judge

The Georgia Supreme Court has denied the Republican Party's petition to instantly reinstate caller ballot rules passed by the State Election Board (SEB) past month. 

The Peach State’s highest tribunal said it volition perceive the Republican National Committee’s (RNC's) petition for an expedited entreaty precocious past week aft Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Cox, Jr. ruled the measures were "illegal, unconstitutional, and void."

The one-page determination by the authorities Supreme Court released connected Tuesday day indicates that ruling volition stay successful spot done Election Day.

Cox's determination covered a request for ballots astatine each precinct to beryllium manus counted by 3 abstracted region officials to guarantee the full matches the machine-tabulated number, arsenic good arsenic a proviso directing region boards to certify predetermination results lone aft "a tenable inquiry" into their accuracy, among others.

GEORGIA GOP CHAIR SHARES 2-PRONGED ELECTION STRATEGY AS TRUMP WORKS TO WIN BACK PEACH STATE

Georgia is weighing caller elections' measures arsenic aboriginal voting is underway. (Getty Images)

Plaintiffs successful the lawsuit included civilian rights groups similar the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP and Eternal Vigilance, arsenic good arsenic a existent and a erstwhile authorities official.

The authorities Supreme Court noted it "lacks jurisdiction implicit this motion" but said it would instrumentality the lawsuit owed to the "issues of gravity and nationalist importance" it presents. The RNC and its allies, including the Georgia authorities GOP, requested an exigency expedition of the appeals process.

It comes arsenic Election Day approaches successful precisely 2 weeks, though Georgia has already shattered aboriginal voting records conscionable 7 days aft the process began past Tuesday.

The SEB voted to walk the rules successful a 3-2 determination connected Sept. 20, with 3 Republican-appointed members voting for the alteration and 1 against.

GEORGIA DEMS CHAIR REVEALS MESSAGE TO UNDECIDED GOP VOTERS AS HARRIS WORKS TO BUILD BROAD BASE

The Georgia Supreme Court said it would perceive the appeal. (Supreme Court of Georgia)

In summation to the 2 aforementioned rules, the SEB measures struck down by Cox included an ID request and heightened documentation requirements for radical delivering absentee ballots to driblet boxes, and a regularisation requiring video surveillance of driblet boxes for votes formed determination to beryllium counted.

The plaintiffs successful the lawsuit argued the SEB did not person the authorization to marque specified rules.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which represented the plaintiffs successful the case, said the measures were "injecting chaos into the antiauthoritarian strategy successful the contiguous run-up to the November election."

'ILLEGAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND VOID': GEORGIA JUDGE STRIKES DOWN NEW ELECTION RULES AFTER LEGAL FIGHTS

"Early voting has begun and implicit 1 cardinal Georgians person already formed their ballots. Judge Cox's ruling prevented a regularisation alteration successful the mediate of the game," the ACLU said successful effect to the Republicans’ appeal.

Even if the tribunal rules successful the GOP's favor, however, the hand-count ballot regularisation would inactive beryllium blocked owed to a abstracted Fulton County Superior Court ruling temporarily delaying its implementation. Another earlier ruling mandated that the elections indispensable beryllium certified by a definite date, careless of region officials' inquiries.

Democrats had accused the GOP officials of trying to sow uncertainty and chaos successful the predetermination process with the caller rules.

The RNC, led by Chair Michael Whatley, filed an exigency entreaty successful the case. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Republican skeptics, including State Secretary Brad Raffensperger, person argued their implementation is unworkable this adjacent to the election.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

However, enactment officials similar Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon argued the rules are indispensable guardrails to ensuring predetermination security.

"If his determination were upheld, it would severely curtail the quality of the authorities elections committee to modulate our elections and to bash the job," McKoon said.

The Harris run referred Fox News Digital to a effect to an earlier ruling temporarily blocking the hand-count ballot regularisation erstwhile asked for comment, "From the beginning, this regularisation was an effort to hold predetermination results to sow uncertainty successful the outcome…We volition proceed warring to guarantee that voters tin formed their ballot knowing it volition count."