Chiafalo v. Washington
United States Supreme Court
140 S.Ct. 2316 (2020)
- Written by Rose VanHofwegen, JD
Facts
Washington state (defendant) electors Peter Chiafalo, Levi Guerra, and Esther John (plaintiffs) pledged to cast their Electoral College votes for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. But the three electors cast their votes for Colin Powell instead, hoping to encourage other electors to do the same and keep Donald Trump from getting enough votes to win. Washington fined each elector $1,000 as a result. The electors sued, arguing that the Constitution allows electors to cast their votes however they choose, making the fines unconstitutional. The Washington state courts upheld the fines, and the electors appealed to the United States Supreme Court.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Kagan, J.)
Concurrence (Thomas, J.)
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