Supreme Court likely to let candidates more freely challenge state election laws

ABC News included Matt Shapanka’s commentary in an article about the Supreme Court hearing arguments about whether to allow Illinois congressman Michael Bost and others to go forward with a lawsuit challenging the state’s policy of counting mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day.

The justices faced a narrow issue: whether Bost had satisfied the basic legal requirement to file his lawsuit, known as standing, rather than addressing the validity of the Illinois law. That law permits the state to count ballots received up to 14 days after polls close, provided they were postmarked by Election Day.

"The stakes of this case are not just about the standing rules, it's about how candidates, political parties, and even voters, think about challenging the rules governing elections going forward," Matt said.

"It's also about how courts intervene in elections, and whether it's appropriate for courts to have to make judgments about how strong a candidate is or how likely they are to win or lose, when deciding whether to hear a case about the constitutionality or legality of an election rule," Matt explained.