Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito just made a huge decision that could affect the outcome of the Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary.
On Tuesday the Justice, who oversees the third circuit, blocked the decision of the federal appeals court who ordered the counting of undated ballots, that were received on time, in the Pennsylvania election, The Washington Post reported.
The administrative stay Alito issued involves a unanimous decision of a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. It said that mail-in ballots that were received on time but lacked a required date on the outer envelope should be counted. Alito is the justice who receives emergency applications from the 3rd Circuit.
The panel’s decision involved a local judge’s race in Lehigh County. But it is significant because of the too-close-to-call primary for the Republican Senate nomination involving Mehmet Oz and David McCormick. McCormick, who trails Oz by fewer than 1,000 votes, has filed a lawsuit in state court to require that such “undated ballots” be counted.