
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has refused to hear US President Donald Trump's lawsuit attempting to overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the battleground state.
In addition, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has certified Democrat Joe Biden as the winner of the state's presidential election.
"Today I carried out my duty to certify the November 3rd election, and as required by state and federal law, I've signed the Certificate of Ascertainment for the slate of electors for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris," Evers said in a statement.
Trump had asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to disqualify more than 221,000 ballots in the state's two biggest Democratic counties, alleging irregularities in the way absentee ballots were administered.
In doing so, the top court has sidestepped a decision on the merits of the claims and instead ruled that the case must first wind its way through lower courts.
The defeat on a 4-3 ruling was the latest in a string of losses for Trump's post-election lawsuits. Judges in multiple battleground states have rejected his claims of fraud or irregularities.
His lawsuit echoed claims that were earlier rejected by election officials in those counties during a recount that barely affected Biden's winning margin of about 20,700 votes.
Trump's attorney Jim Troupis said he would immediately file the case in circuit court and expected to be back before the Supreme Court very soon.
Trump had argued that there wasn't enough time to wage the legal battle by starting with a lower court, given the looming December 14 date when presidential electors cast their votes.
Trump's lawsuit challenged procedures that have been in place for years and never been found to be illegal. He claimed there were thousands of absentee ballots without a written application on file.
Trump also challenged absentee ballots where voters declared themselves to be indefinitely confined.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court in March ruled that it was up to individual voters to determine their status.
The court late Thursday also declined to hear a lawsuit brought by a Wisconsin resident, Dean Mueller, that argued that ballots placed in drop boxes are illegal and must not be counted.
(with inputs from agencies)