Judge Rejects Last-Minute Claim That Pence Can Ignore States’ Presidential Electors

Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas (right) speaks during a Dec. 3 news conference on Capitol Hill. Gohmert and other Republicans have filed suit to give Vice President Pence authority to count the votes of alternate electors.

Jacquelyn Martin / AP

Updated at 9:11 p.m. ET

A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit that challenges President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, as Congress moves toward finalizing the results of the 2020 election.

The January certification of states’ electoral votes, overseen by the vice president, is usually considered a formality. But a lawsuit filed last week by Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, seeks to upend the process.