Ruled that the Florida recounts in the presidential election violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, that the Florida Supreme Court had misinterpreted Florida election law and that there was not enough time left to set up alternative methods to resolve the disputed election under Florida law. The upshot? The Supreme Court — and not necessarily the voters or even the House of Representatives — decided the 2000 presidential election. Perhaps it even started a trend (see Franken, Al) or broke a bad one (see Tilden, Samuel J.). Ultimately, perhaps your interpretation of Bush v. Gore is colored by whether you voted for George W. Bush, who was certified as the winner, or Al Gore.
