Appeals court rejects Trump campaign’s Pennsylvania lawsuit, setting up Supreme Court next

The Trump 2020 campaign's legal team suffered another blow in court on Friday, as a federal appeals court in Philadelphia rejected the attorneys' effort to contest the results of the presidential election in Pennsylvania.

Judge Stephanos Bibas wrote on behalf of the three-judge panel that reviewed the appeal, "Free, fair elections are the lifeblood of our democracy. Charges of unfairness are serious. But calling an election unfair does not make it so. Charges require specific allegations and then proof. We have neither here." 

Trump's attorneys have vowed to appeal the case to the Supreme Court, despite the round dismissal from the appeals court.

Senior strategy adviser for the Trump campaign Steve Cortes told Just the News that "We will be appealing to the United States Supreme Court, which has always been where we wanted to end up. The sooner the better. We want to make these cases before the high court and we believe we have a compelling argument to make."

The case was argued last week by President Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who presented the case that the results of the election had been undermined by widespread voter fraud across Pennsylvania. But Giuliani offered little tangible evidence to fortify his claims.

All three of the judges on Friday's panel of 3rd U.S. Circuit Court judges were appointed by Republicans, including Judge Bibas who is a Trump appointee. Until 2019, President Trump's sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, sat on the court for two decades.

On Tuesday, the state of Pennsylvania certified its election results in favor of Joe Biden, who will officially receive the Keystone State's 20 electoral votes. Biden led Trump in Pennsylvania by about 80,000 votes. 

Following Friday's ruling, senior Trump campaign attorney Jenna Ellis tweeted, "The activist judicial machinery in Pennsylvania continues to cover up the allegations of massive fraud. On to SCOTUS!"