Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/20pdf/20-542_i3dj.pdf
Page Number: 1

Cite as:  592 U. S. ____ (2020) 

1 

Statement of ALITO, J. 

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES 
REPUBLICAN PARTY OF PENNSYLVANIA v. 
KATHY BOOCKVAR, SECRETARY OF 
PENNSYLVANIA, ET AL. 

ON MOTION TO EXPEDITE CONSIDERATION OF 
THE PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI 

No. 20–542.  Decided [October 28, 2020]

  The motion to expedite consideration of the petition for a 
writ of certiorari is denied.  JUSTICE BARRETT took no part 
in the consideration or decision of this motion. 
  Additional opinions may follow. 
  Statement  of  JUSTICE  ALITO,  with  whom  JUSTICE 
THOMAS and JUSTICE GORSUCH join. 
  The Court’s handling of the important constitutional is-
sue raised by this matter has needlessly created conditions 
that could lead to serious post-election problems.  The Su-
preme  Court  of  Pennsylvania  has  issued  a  decree  that 
squarely alters an important statutory provision enacted by 
the Pennsylvania Legislature pursuant to its authority un-
der the Constitution of the United States to make rules gov-
erning the conduct of elections for federal office.  See Art. I, 
§4, cl. 1; Art. II, §1, cl. 2; Bush v. Palm Beach County Can-
vassing Bd., 531 U. S. 70, 76 (2000) (per curiam).  In a law 
called  Act  77,  the  legislature  permitted  all  voters  to  cast 
their ballots by mail but unambiguously required that all 
mailed ballots be received by 8 p.m. on election day.  2019 
Pa. Leg. Serv. Act 2019–77; see 25 Pa. Stat. Ann., Tit. 25, 
§§3146.6(c), 3150.16(c) (Purdon 2020).  It also specified that 
if  this  provision  was  declared  invalid,  much  of  the  rest  of 
Act 77, including its liberalization of mail-in voting, would 
be void.  Act 77, §11.  The legislature subsequently made it 
clear that, in its judgment, the COVID–19 pandemic did not 
call for any change in the election-day deadline.  In a law