Following a loss in the 2024 primary election, Phil Lyman’s legal challenge to the results of the election has exhausted all options following failed appeals to the Utah Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court, which on Monday, Jan. 13 officially rejected the candidate’s filing.
Lyman’s lawsuit stems from the results of the 2024 primary election in the gubernatorial race between himself and incumbent Gov. Spencer Cox. Despite winning the nomination from the Republican Convention, Lyman lost to Cox in the primary. This is due to SB54, which allows candidates to gather signatures to qualify for the ballot if they do not win the convention nomination.
This bill has drawn criticism from several members of the Utah GOP, including Sen. Mike Lee, who on his alternate X account has called for the bill to be repealed.
SB54 must go.
It benefits only incumbents, self-funders, and political consultants.
It actually costs a lot more than $147,000 to collect enough signatures for a statewide campaign—several multiples of that.
It’s wrong. https://t.co/TXiMzavYy6
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) June 23, 2024
Despite his defeat, Lyman refused to concede, instead opting to run a write-in campaign which ultimately ended in a third-place finish behind Cox and Democratic challenger Brian King. Lyman protested Cox’s victory first in the Utah Supreme Court, a move which ultimately was rejected with Chief Justice Mathew B. Durant stating,” His request is based on a view that the Republican Party’s internal rules trump Utah’s election laws, a claim we rejected [previously].”
Lyman then filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, citing the case New York State Board of Elections v. Lopez Torres, a case which Lyman said the Utah court misconstrued in its ruling.
In a post shared on X following the announcement, Lyman said,” We have received the reply from the SCOTUS and appreciate their work and effort. We appreciate everyone’s support and are moving forward accordingly.”
We have received the reply from the SCOTUS and appreciate their work and effort. We appreciate everyone’s support and are moving forward accordingly.
— Just Phil Lyman (@phil_lyman) January 13, 2025
The Supreme Court typically receives over 8,000 petitions a year, with only 60-75 each year being heard by the highest court in the land.