Bush v. Gore

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Bush v. Gore

Q: What is Bush v. Gore ?

Bush v. Gore was a case heard before the U.S. Supreme Court in which that court reversed a Florida Supreme Court request for a selective manual recount of ballots cast in the U.S. presidential election of 2000 . The ruling effectively awarded Florida’s 25 votes in the electoral college—and thus the election itself—to Republican candidate George W. Bush .

Q: What did the U.S. Supreme Court decide in Bush v. Gore ?

On December 12, 2000, in a 7–2 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Florida Supreme Court’s decision that manual recounts of ballots should continue in some counties, holding that the various methods and standards of the recount process violated the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution . The court ruled 5–4 on the remedy of the matter, with the majority holding that the Florida Supreme Court’s decision had created new election law—a right reserved for the state legislature—and that no recount could be held in time to satisfy a federal deadline for the selection of state electors.

Q: What was the outcome of Bush v. Gore ?

The U.S. Supreme Court ’s ruling in Bush v. Gore terminated the recount process in Florida in the U.S. presidential election of 2000 . With the election effectively ended, Florida’s 25 electoral votes were awarded to George W. Bush , whose lead in the state stood at 327 votes out of six million cast after a machine recount in November. Florida’s electoral votes enabled Bush to win the presidency. His Democratic opponent, Al Gore , officially conceded on December 13 and stated in a televised address, “While I strongly disagree with the court’s decision, I accept it.”

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Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 17, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

Date:: December 12, 2000

Location:: United States

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What is Bush v. Gore?

What did the U.S. Supreme Court decide in Bush v. Gore?

What was the outcome of Bush v. Gore?

News •

After Bush v. Gore, Obama, Clinton wanted Electoral College scrapped • Dec. 14, 2024, 3:45 AM ET (The Hill)

Bush v. Gore, legal case, decided on December 12, 2000, in which the Supreme Court of the United States reversed an order by the Florida Supreme Court for a selective manual recount of that state’s U.S. presidential election ballots. The 5–4 per curiam (unsigned) decision effectively awarded Florida’s 25 Electoral College votes to Republican candidate George W. Bush, thereby ensuring his victory over Democratic candidate Al Gore. On the evening of election day—November 7, 2000—a clear winner of the presidential election had yet to emerge. Print and broadcast media cited often contradictory exit-polling numbers, and the races in Oregon and ...(100 of 1496 words)

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