[plain talk]

I thought a SC tie means the lower court ruling stands.

[Political Junkie Too]

In the case of an election for President, there might not be a lower court ruling. The case might go directly to SCOTUS.

-PJ

[TBP]

I thought a SC tie means the lower court ruling stands.

Yes, it does. What if there are contradictory rulings?

Nightmare scenario: Democrats flood the zone, calling several states into question. The House votes, but each party controls 25 state delegations, so they keep tying. Multiple lawsuits ensue. They have contradictory results. It's appealed to the Supreme Court, which is a justice short, and it ties 4-4.