The significance of the Supreme Court decision in Bush v. Gore was that it suspended the recounting of votes in Florida, thus indirectly giving presidency to George W. Bush.
Explanation:
Bush v. Gore was the case with which the Supreme Court of the United States decided the dispute over the presidential election of 2000. On November 8 the Florida Electoral Committee had announced the victory of Bush in the state for less than 0.5% of the votes. Gore then asked for a recount of the cards, but since the recount could not be completed within the legal limits, the lawsuit began. On December 9, the Supreme Court first stopped the recount of the votes that was taking place in Florida.
The Court, with 5 in favor and 4 against, decided that it was not possible to establish an alternative method for recounting the votes by 12 December, a time limit established by federal law. Seven of the nine judges agreed to recognize a violation of the equal protection clause in using different counting methods in different counties. Three judges also believed that the Florida Supreme Court had violated Article II, section 1, paragraph 2 of the Constitution, misinterpreting the electoral law passed by the Florida Parliament.
After the ruling, Florida's Secretary of State Katherine Harris confirmed George W. Bush's victory in Florida: the 25 great voters so obtained gave Bush, the Republican candidate, 271 great voters, one more than the 270 required to win in the Electoral College and defeating the Democratic candidate Al Gore, who obtained 266 votes (a voter from the District of Columbia abstained). The Court's decision raised many criticisms and controversies.
