In the months following the 2020 presidential election, then-President Donald J. Trump launched an unprecedented campaign to overturn the results. Claiming widespread fraud without credible evidence, Trump’s legal team filed dozens of lawsuits across the country. However, despite the flurry of activity, nearly all of these lawsuits failed in court, cementing President Joe Biden’s victory.

Trump’s post-election efforts began almost immediately after the November 3, 2020 vote. His legal team, led by figures like Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis, pushed theories of widespread voting irregularities in key battleground states. These states — including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — had flipped from Trump in 2016 to Biden in 2020, providing the margin necessary for Biden’s electoral college win.

The Trump campaign and its allies filed approximately 62 lawsuits related to the election. Of those, 61 either failed outright or were dismissed without success (Sheth, 2020). Judges — including some appointed by Trump himself — repeatedly found that the cases lacked merit, credible evidence, or standing to sue.

For instance, in Pennsylvania, Trump’s campaign sued to block the certification of the state’s election results. Federal Judge Matthew Brann, a conservative Republican and a member of the Federalist Society, dismissed the case, likening it to “Frankenstein’s Monster” due to its disjointed legal arguments (Savage, 2020). Similarly, in Michigan, federal Judge Linda Parker dismissed a high-profile lawsuit pushed by pro-Trump lawyers, stating that the case was “nothing but speculation and conjecture” (Baxter, 2021).

In Georgia, several lawsuits sought to throw out large numbers of ballots, but were similarly dismissed. Judges ruled there was no evidence of widespread fraud or misconduct that could have changed the outcome. In Nevada, a Trump-aligned lawsuit alleging over 3,000 instances of illegal voting was rejected due to lack of evidence, with the court concluding that “there is no credible or reliable evidence that the 2020 General Election in Nevada was affected by fraud” (Ritter, 2020).

Which Lawsuits Succeeded?

While Trump’s legal team lost nearly all their cases, a few lawsuits achieved minor technical victories — but crucially, none impacted the final election results.

In Pennsylvania, one small victory came when a state court ruled that a limited number of mail-in ballots missing voter identification information should be set aside (Montgomery County Board of Elections v. Republican National Committee, 2020). However, the number of ballots affected was far too small to alter Biden’s 80,000-vote lead in the state.

Another narrow procedural win came in Wisconsin, where Trump’s team challenged the legality of indefinitely confined voters — people who claim they are unable to visit polling locations due to age or disability. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that clerks had improperly given advice about the “indefinitely confined” status (Trump v. Biden, 2020). Yet, this decision came after the election and did not retroactively invalidate any votes.

Overall, these limited victories amounted to mere technicalities, addressing minor administrative issues rather than any evidence of widespread fraud or voting irregularities.

The Courts’ Message: Lack of Evidence

Judges across the political spectrum hammered home a common theme: the lawsuits brought by Trump and his allies consistently lacked substantial evidence.

In a strongly worded opinion dismissing one of the Trump campaign’s cases, U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig, a Trump appointee, wrote that the campaign’s “request to remand this case to the legislature for the appointment of electors was extraordinary” and lacked justification (Trump v. Wisconsin Elections Commission, 2020).

Similarly, the United States Supreme Court — with three Trump-appointed justices — declined to hear several major challenges brought by the Trump team and Republican allies. In December 2020, the Court rejected a Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn election results in four battleground states, stating that Texas lacked standing to challenge how other states conducted their elections (Texas v. Pennsylvania, 2020).

This overwhelming judicial rejection reflected the simple legal reality: accusations of fraud require proof, and proof was nowhere to be found.

Political Fallout

Despite the near-universal failure in court, Trump’s repeated claims of a “stolen election” had far-reaching consequences. His rhetoric fueled mistrust in the electoral system among millions of Americans, culminating in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Rioters, many echoing Trump’s false claims of election fraud, stormed Congress in an attempt to halt the certification of Biden’s victory.

The courts’ consistent rejection of Trump’s legal challenges did little to dampen his supporters’ beliefs. Polls conducted after the election showed that a majority of Republican voters believed the election was stolen, despite the lack of credible evidence (Pew Research Center, 2021).

Moreover, Trump’s actions led to his historic second impeachment. The House of Representatives charged him with “incitement of insurrection,” although he was acquitted by the Senate.

Conclusion: A Failed Strategy with Lasting Impact

Donald Trump’s legal blitz to overturn the 2020 election failed in its primary aim: to change the outcome of the vote. Judges across the country, including many Republicans and Trump appointees, rejected the claims due to lack of evidence. Although a handful of minor procedural wins occurred, they had no meaningful impact on the results.

However, the consequences of Trump’s efforts — a deepened political divide, a shaken faith in American elections, and the January 6 attack — have left a permanent scar on U.S. democracy.

As the nation continues to grapple with the fallout, the story of Trump’s failed lawsuits serves as a powerful reminder: in a court of law, evidence matters. And in the 2020 election challenges, evidence was overwhelmingly absent.

References

  • Baxter, T. (2021). Judge sanctions pro-Trump lawyers over Michigan election lawsuit. Detroit Free Press.
  • Pew Research Center. (2021). Republicans remain skeptical of 2020 election outcome.
  • Ritter, K. (2020). Nevada judge dismisses Trump lawsuit challenging election. Associated Press.
  • Savage, C. (2020). Federal judge dismisses Trump lawsuit in Pennsylvania. The New York Times.
  • Sheth, S. (2020). Trump and allies filed 62 lawsuits over the election. They lost all but one. Business Insider.
  • Texas v. Pennsylvania, 592 U.S. ___ (2020).
  • Trump v. Biden, 2020 WI 91, 949 N.W.2d 573.
  • Trump v. Wisconsin Elections Commission, No. 20-cv-1785 (E.D. Wis. 2020).
  • Montgomery County Board of Elections v. Republican National Committee, No. 1460 C.D. 2020 (Pa. Commw. Ct.).