Candidates have legal standing to challenge election laws, the Supreme Court rules

"The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that political candidates have the legal standing to challenge election laws before voting or counting starts. The case before the court was brought by Illinois Republican U.S. Rep. Michael Bost and other candidates, who wanted to challenge a state law that allows election officials to count mail ballots that arrive up to two weeks after Election Day, as long as they're postmarked on time."

""[c]andidates have a concrete and particularized interest in the rules that govern the counting of votes in their elections, regardless whether those rules harm their electoral prospects or increase the cost of their campaigns.""

""In a democratic society like ours, the interest in a fair electoral process is common to all members of the voting public," she wrote. "I believe that political candidates can and should be held to the same actual-injury requirements as other litigants.""

The U.S. Supreme Court held 7-2 that political candidates may sue to challenge election rules before votes are cast or counted. The case arose from Illinois Republican Rep. Michael Bost and other candidates who disputed a state law allowing mail ballots arriving up to two weeks after Election Day if postmarked on time. A lower court had found no standing. Chief Justice John Roberts authored the majority opinion. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote a concurrence joined by Justice Elena Kagan. Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor dissented, arguing candidates should meet actual-injury requirements. A conservative group praised the decision.

Read at www.npr.org