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How did the Supreme Court decision in Bush v. Gore affect the 2000 presidential election?

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Alabama certificate showing the state's electors' votes — Electoral College A certificate from Alabama showing the signatures of the state's electors in 2000. The nine electors voted for George W. Bush and his running mate Dick Cheney.

The Supreme Court’s decision in Bush v. Gore was the decisive factor in the 2000 presidential election, effectively ending the legal disputes surrounding the vote count in Florida.12

Following a period of intense uncertainty regarding the state's results, the Florida Supreme Court had ordered a manual recount of undervotes. However, the U.S. Supreme Court intervened, ruling 7–2 that the varying standards used for the recount violated the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. In a 5–4 decision regarding the remedy, the Court further held that a fair statewide recount could not be completed by the federal deadline for certifying electors.134

This ruling effectively halted the recount process and awarded Florida’s 25 electoral votes to George W. Bush. Consequently, Bush secured 271 electoral votes—one more than the required majority—defeating Al Gore, who had won the national popular vote. Al Gore officially conceded the election the following day.124