The 2000 US presidential election was highly contested and controversial, ultimately decided by the Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore. The events leading up to and including this decision have been widely interpreted as a bloodless coup, a subversion of democracy in which the US legal system and the Supreme Court played a key role.
The election was extremely close, with the outcome hinging on the results in Florida. Initially, Al Gore, the Democratic candidate, was declared the winner in Florida, but a series of recounts and legal challenges ensued. The Bush campaign, led by George W. Bush, the Republican candidate, challenged the recount process, alleging irregularities and inconsistencies.
The Florida Supreme Court ordered a statewide recount of all undervotes and ballots that the vote tabulation machines had missed. However, the Bush campaign appealed to the US Supreme Court, seeking to halt the recount. In a per curiam decision, the US Supreme Court intervened in the case, effectively stopping the recount and awarding Florida’s electoral votes to Bush, giving him the presidency.
The Supreme Court’s decision was highly controversial. Critics argued that it was an unjustified intrusion into the state’s election process and a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the US Constitution. They argued that the lack of uniform standards for the recount led to an arbitrary and capricious outcome, effectively disenfranchised voters, and undermined the democratic process.
The events surrounding the 2000 election and the Supreme Court’s decision in Bush v. Gore have left a lasting legacy of controversy and distrust in the US political system. The case raised serious questions about the judiciary’s role in elections, the integrity of the electoral process, and the fundamental principles of American democracy. Everything ugly and evil today can be traced to that moment.