 Because of the extraordinary nature and argued urgency of the case, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in "Bush v. Gore" on December 12, 2000, less than a day after hearing oral argument.The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, on which the decision in "Bush v. Gore" was based,


This clause arguably gives power to only one branch of Florida's state government (i.e., the state legislature).Since the electors were set to meet December 18, the "safe harbor" deadline was December 12, just one day after the Court heard oral arguments in this case.