Justice Amy Coney Barrett, writing for a 5-4 Supreme Court majority Monday in RNC v. Watson, upholding the right of states to count mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, a defeat for the Trump administration and Republican states that argued federal law requires all ballots to arrive by the close of polls. The case centered on a Mississippi law allowing ballots postmarked by Election Day to count if they arrive within five business days; 13 states have similar grace-period laws, including Alaska, California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada and New Jersey. Barrett noted the ruling rested on statutory interpretation rather than the Constitution, leaving the door open for Congress to set a nationwide deadline. (Stateline)