Court snubs election challenge

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday turned thumbs down on a lawsuit seeking to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the Nov. 3 election. It was perhaps the last of many rejections by state and federal courts of contentions that the results of voting across the nation were tainted by widespread fraud and irregularities.

The court issued a terse answer to the lawsuit led by the Texas attorney general and supported by President Donald Trump, stating that Texas had no “standing” to pursue legal remedies for actions occurring in other states. The lawsuit named four “battleground” states which had gone for the Democratic nominee, and asked for the results there to be set aside, cancelling the votes of millions.

Two of the justices – Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito – expressed a willingness to hear the lawsuit, but none of the nine would support action to overturn the election.

The Electoral College will meet on Monday to formally cast ballots and elect Biden and Kamala Harris as president and vice president of the United States.

The News: Vaccine use gets the go-ahead

• The Food and Drug Administration on Friday gave its approval for an emergency distribution of a coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech. The doses will be available within a week, according to the Associated Press, but first in line will be health workers, first responders (such as police and fire) and those in nursing homes.
• A man convicted of killing his 2-year-old daughter was executed Friday at a federal prison in Terra Haute, Indiana. Alfred Bourgeois, 56, was found guilty of sexual abusing the girl and beating her to death. He denied any guilt and said that “false evidence” was planted.
• Results on Wall Street were mixed Friday as uncertainty about a possible stimulus package from Congress pushed two of three stock indexes down, according to MarketWatch.com. The Dow Jones Average gained 47.11 points, but the S&P 500 fell 4.64 points and the Nasdaq declined 27.94 points.

The Weather: A cool and windy weekend

It’s going to be sweater weather for the West Orange County area this weekend. According to the National Weather Service, daytime highs will range from 61 to 73, with overnight lows in the mid-40s. Saturday will see winds up to 15 miles an hour during the day, gusting to 45 miles an hour by Sunday, tapering off Sunday night. Daytime highs in coastal areas will be around three degrees cooler.

Sports: Utah State won’t play final game

Football players at Utah State University have decided to not play their final scheduled game in a dispute over remarks made about their interim coach. According to Sports Illustrated, the Aggies (1-5) voted to skip the game Saturday against Colorado State (1-3) as a result of comments made by Utah State President Noelle Cockett about Frank Maile. During a Zoom conversation, Cockett expressed concern about Maile’s “religious and cultural background.” He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, commonly known as Mormons. Cockett denied any bias.