She'll come into the fold post-Election Day. (GIF via GIPHY)

This is a shocker — Amy Coney Barrett, groomed by the Federalist Society as an anti-voting rights, anti-reproductive rights, anti-equality, anti-LGBTQ rights SCOTUS warrior — actually recused herself from the first major voting rights case to come before her, one involving counting ballots in Pennsylvania.

That this involves what is widely regarded as the most essential swing state of the election is noteworthy.

Coney Barrett had already been lobbied by the Luzerne County Board of Elections to recuse herself, and she seems to have heeded that request. The SCOTUS decided (a second time) 4-4, meaning an extended deadline to receive mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania will stand.

However, the Court could also review this decision post-election — which would be a nightmare scenario, because if it's that close post-Election Day, and if Pennsylvania is deciding the outcome, things could get civil war-y.

Still:

The Supreme Court rulings seem consistent with "SCOTUS will break a tie for Trump so Dems had better hope it's out of the recount margin" and not "SCOTUS will go to outrageous lengths to hand Trump an election that he's clearly lost".

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) October 28, 2020