Trump campaign asks Michigan Supreme Court to stop election verification

The Trump campaign has filed an emergency appeal that asks the Michigan Supreme Court to halt the verification of the election.

The president's legal team is again arguing that election officials in Michigan failed to protect the integrity of the vote by not ensuring that poll challengers were allowed to have a meaningful view or watch the counting of ballots on Election Day.

"Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson did not direct local election officials (election inspectors) to allow challengers a meaningful opportunity to observe the processing and adjudicating of ballots, nor did Secretary Benson allow challengers to observe video recordings of remote unattended ballot drop of boxes," reads the appeal, filed Monday. 

The campaign's attorneys have thus far been unsuccessful in Michigan in their attempts to convince any judges to intervene to stop the state's election certification efforts. 

Judge Cynthia Stephens, of the Michigan Court of Claims, previously denied the campaign's request to stall the certification process. The Trump legal team disputes her reasoning in their latest court appeal.

"Judge Stephens was wrong to believe this case was moot because the counting of ballots 'is now complete," the lawyers argue.

The Trump team also argues that "the issues are not moot because state electors have not yet been seated," and "Electoral College has not yet been assembled."

Tuesday is the safe harbor deadline in the United States, meaning it is the deadline set in 1887 for states to certify the results of the presidential election. It is not mandatory that all states certify their election results by that deadline. fHowever, doing so provides federal assurance that Congress will not be able to second-guess the results of the state's vote count.