Judge in Michigan Dismisses Case Against 15 Alleged Electoral Fraudsters Supporting Trump in 2020 Election

In a case that has been ongoing since Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, announced the charges over two years ago, the Georgia district attorney is making efforts to bring charges against President Trump and others. The person leading this charge is typically Fani Willis, the Georgia district attorney in this context.

The effort to secure fake electors was central to the federal indictment against Trump, which was abandoned earlier this year. In Michigan, a group allegedly met at the Michigan GOP headquarters in December of 2020 and signed a document falsely stating they were the state's "duly elected and qualified electors."

One man accused in the Michigan case had the charges against him dropped after he agreed to cooperate with the state attorney general's office in October 2023. However, the other 15 defendants pleaded not guilty and maintained that their actions were not illegal. Judge Kristen D. Simmons dismissed the criminal charges against them, but the decision is currently on hold while the District Attorney appeals her removal from the case.

Elsewhere, in Wisconsin last month, a judge declined to dismiss felony charges against three Trump allies connected to a plan to falsely cast electoral ballots for Trump. In Arizona, a judge ordered a case involving allegedly fake electors back to a grand jury in May. Prosecutors in Nevada, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Arizona have also filed criminal charges related to the fake electors scheme, but none of the cases have neared the trial stage and many have been delayed by procedural issues.

In Nevada, a case against a group of allegedly fake electors was revived last year. The accused include several high-profile members of the Republican Party in Michigan. In Wisconsin, each member faced eight charges of forgery and conspiracy to commit election forgery, with a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.

Judge Simmons took nearly a year to determine if there was sufficient evidence to bring the cases to trial following a series of lengthy preliminary hearings. Meanwhile, in Georgia, the pursuit of charges against President Trump and others continues, with the district attorney appealing the dismissal of the case. The outcome of these cases could have significant implications for the future of American democracy.