The Brunson case update is straightforward: the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Brunson v. Adams, then denied the petitioners’ request for rehearing, leaving the lower court rulings in place. The Brunson brothers—Raland, Loy, Deron, and Gaynor—have since continued filing new complaints and reconsideration requests in U.S. District Courts, though none has advanced past early procedural review.
What the Supreme Court Did
The justices denied the petition for a writ of certiorari in Brunson v. Adams, docketed as No. 22-380. A denial of certiorari is not a ruling on the merits of the claims; it simply means the Court will not review the case.1Supreme Court of the United States. Supreme Court Docket – No. 22-3802LII / Legal Information Institute. Certiorari
The petitioners then asked the Court to reconsider. That request for rehearing was also denied, which closed the case at the Supreme Court and left the earlier lower court decisions standing.1Supreme Court of the United States. Supreme Court Docket – No. 22-380
What the Brothers Were Asking For
The core argument was that federal officials violated their constitutional oath of office by failing to investigate allegations of foreign interference in the 2020 election before certifying the results. The petitioners argued that this failure created a national security risk and warranted removal of the officials involved.
The remedy the brothers sought runs into a structural problem. Under the Constitution, the power to punish or remove members of Congress belongs to the House and the Senate themselves; it is not a remedy a civil court can order.3Constitution Annotated. U.S. Constitution – Article I, Section 5
Who Was Named as a Defendant
The suit named the President and Vice President of the United States along with hundreds of members of the House and Senate. The petitioners chose these defendants based on their participation in the joint session of Congress that certified the electoral college votes on January 6, 2021. The theory was one of collective failure: that these officials had a shared duty to pause and investigate rather than proceed with certification.
What Is Still Pending
After the Supreme Court denials, the brothers kept filing. New complaints and reconsideration requests are moving through U.S. District Courts, sitting in the early stages where a judge decides whether the claims have the legal standing to proceed at all.
Many of these filings are awaiting review on threshold questions such as jurisdiction and immunity. Whether any of the legal theories will survive that review, and reach a hearing on evidence, is what the public docket will show as the district court proceedings continue.