House Republicans’ constitutional challenge to COVID-19-related proxy-voting rules finally ran out of steam Monday, when the Supreme Court declined to hear Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s appeal of lower court rulings that dismissed the case.
Dozens of House Republicans and several constituents filed the lawsuit in May 2020 to stop Speaker Nancy Pelosi from allowing members to vote on behalf of those who could not safely travel to the Capitol to vote during the pandemic. Dozens more Republicans joined in.
A district court judge in Washington dismissed the lawsuit in August 2020, ruling that Pelosi and other defendants are immune under the Speech or Debate Clause of the Constitution. A federal appeals court agreed in July 2021.
