Standing, etc.

The Supreme Court’s rejection of Texas v. Pennsylvania (despite support from an amicus brief by two nonexistent states) has sparked an unusual national dialogue about the concept of standing (including the President’s accurate observation: “All they were interested in is ‘standing’, which makes it very difficult for the President to present a case on the merits.” (emphasis added)). The capable Rory Ryan at Baylor Law School has analyzed and critiqued the dissenters’ position; for reference, the entire order appears below:

The State of Texas’s motion for leave to file a bill of complaint is denied for lack of standing under Article III of the Constitution. Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections. All other pending motions are dismissed as moot. Statement of Justice Alito, with whom Justice Thomas joins: In my view, we do not have discretion to deny the filing of a bill of complaint in a case that falls within our original jurisdiction. See Arizona v. California, 589 U. S. ___ (Feb. 24, 2020) (Thomas, J., dissenting). I would therefore grant the motion to file the bill of complaint but would not grant other relief, and I express no view on any other issue.