{"id":2484572,"date":"2025-09-10T08:02:59","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T12:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michigan-judge-tosses-dem-lawfare-against-2020-trump-electors\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T08:05:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T12:05:05","slug":"michigan-judge-tosses-dem-lawfare-against-2020-trump-electors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michigan-judge-tosses-dem-lawfare-against-2020-trump-electors\/","title":{"rendered":"Michigan Judge Tosses Dem Lawfare Against 2020 Trump Electors"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmichigan-judge-tosses-dem-lawfare-against-2020-trump-electors%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2484572&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A Michigan judge dismissed charges against 15 Republican 2020 presidential electors accused of trying to replace Michigan&#8217;s certified electoral votes for joe Biden with those for Donald Trump. District Judge Kristen Simmons ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove fraudulent intent, a requirement for the case. The charges, brought by Democratic Attorney General Dana nessel in 2023, included forgery and conspiracy, carrying potential prison terms of up to 14 years. The dismissal prevents the case from going to trial,though prosecutors are considering an appeal.<\/p>\n<p>This ruling is part of a broader pattern of setbacks for Democrat-led legal efforts targeting Trump-aligned alternate electors in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/huge-sidney-powell-witness-whom-ny-times-described-as-always-the-smartest-person-in-the-room-concludes-hundreds-of-thousands-of-votes-transferred-from-trump-to-biden-in-all-battleground-states\/\" title=\"HUGE! Sidney Powell Witness Whom NY Times Described as &quot;Always the Smartest Person in the Room&quot; Concludes Hundreds of Thousands of Votes Transferred from Trump to Biden IN ALL BATTLEGROUND STATES\">key battleground states<\/a> after the 2020 election. Similar cases in Nevada and Georgia have faced dismissals or significant delays, and Arizona&#8217;s &#8220;fake elector&#8221; case was recently returned to a grand jury. The legal legitimacy of alternate elector slates has historical precedent from the 1960 kennedy-Nixon election dispute,where competing elector slates were also submitted amid contested results. The Michigan decision underscores ongoing judicial skepticism about prosecuting these cases as fraudulent.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Scales_of_Justice_(15030066870).jpg\">North Charleston from North Charleston, SC, United States\/Wikimedia Commons\/<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/deed.en\">CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/10\/michigan-judge-tosses-democrat-lawfare-against-2020-trump-electors\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Michigan%20Judge%20Tosses%20Democrat%20Lawfare%20Against%202020%20Trump%20Electors&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/10\/michigan-judge-tosses-democrat-lawfare-against-2020-trump-electors\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Michigan%20Judge%20Tosses%20Democrat%20Lawfare%20Against%202020%20Trump%20Electors&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/10\/michigan-judge-tosses-democrat-lawfare-against-2020-trump-electors\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/10\/michigan-judge-tosses-democrat-lawfare-against-2020-trump-electors\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Michigan%20Judge%20Tosses%20Democrat%20Lawfare%20Against%202020%20Trump%20Electors&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/10\/michigan-judge-tosses-democrat-lawfare-against-2020-trump-electors\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>In a major win for the rule of law, a Michigan judge dismissed Democrat-backed lawfare waged against the state&rsquo;s 2020 Republican electors on Tuesday, citing a lack of evidence for the charges. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is a fraud case, and we have to prove intent,&rdquo; District Judge Kristen Simmons <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/09\/09\/nx-s1-5535584\/michigan-fake-electors-trump-charges-dropped\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly<\/a> said during a Tuesday court hearing. &ldquo;And I don&rsquo;t believe there&rsquo;s evidence sufficient to prove intent.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-739747623\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3798623\/michigan-fake-electors-judge-dismisses-charges\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Washington Examiner<\/a>, &ldquo;The Michigan case began in 2023, when Michigan&rsquo;s Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel brought charges against [15 state Republicans] who were alleged to have tried to replace the state&rsquo;s electoral votes for former President Joe Biden with those of [Donald] Trump. All pleaded not guilty.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The defendants &ldquo;faced charges of forgery and conspiracy to commit forgery&rdquo; and &ldquo;faced 14 years in prison if convicted,&rdquo; the outlet added. As a result of Simmons&rsquo; ruling, the case will not head to trial. <\/p>\n<p>Nessel&rsquo;s team is &ldquo;evaluating&rdquo; whether to appeal the decision, according to left-wing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/09\/09\/nx-s1-5535584\/michigan-fake-electors-trump-charges-dropped\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NPR<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>While brought by left-wing prosecutors in several 2020 battleground states, the often-cited Democrat claim of there being &ldquo;fake&rdquo; Trump electors during the contest&rsquo;s aftermath is legally dubious at best. <\/p>\n<p>As The Federalist&rsquo;s Margot Cleveland previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/05\/15\/the-lefts-2020-fake-electors-narrative-is-fake-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, the process conducted in contested states such as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/09\/01\/exclusive-fani-willis-possesses-evidence-exonerating-georgias-alternate-electors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Georgia<\/a>&nbsp;parallel a similar endeavor that took place during the 1960 presidential election between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. <\/p>\n<p>As noted by Cleveland, Kennedy and Nixon electors cast their votes for their respective candidates when a disagreement arose over who won Hawaii&rsquo;s electoral votes. While the state&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/associated-press-admits-new-indictments-are-campaign-to-deter-gop-from-questioning-elections\/\" title=\"Associated Press acknowledges that the new indictments are a strategy to discourage GOP from challenging elections\">acting governor certified<\/a> the election for Nixon initially, a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >legal challenge eventually resulted<\/a> in Kennedy receiving the electoral votes.<\/p>\n<p>Had courts ruled in Trump&rsquo;s favor in lawsuits disputing the election results in battleground states, the alternate electors would have been in place to ensure the will of the people was exercised, as demonstrated in the Nixon-Kennedy case. <\/p>\n<p>Tuesday&rsquo;s Michigan decision is the latest in a string of setbacks for Democrat prosecutors seeking to jail Republicans for their role as alternate electors in the 2020 contest. <\/p>\n<p>In June 2024, a Nevada judge <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/06\/24\/judge-throws-out-leftist-nevada-ags-phony-fake-electors-case-against-trump-supporters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tossed<\/a> Democrat Attorney General Aaron Ford&rsquo;s case against the Silver State&rsquo;s 2020 Trump electors after determining prosecutors selected the wrong jurisdiction (unsurprisingly, a Democrat stronghold) for their case. A hearing on the matter was held last month at the Nevada Supreme Court, which is expected to decide whether the &ldquo;lower court&rsquo;s dismissal of forgery charges should be overturned,&rdquo; according to <a href=\"https:\/\/thenevadaindependent.com\/article\/nevada-supreme-court-weighs-whether-fake-electors-case-can-proceed-in-clark-county\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Nevada Independent<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/fani-willis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fani Willis<\/a>&lsquo; lawfare against the Peach State&rsquo;s 2020 Trump electors has been <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/19\/georgia-get-trump-case-likely-over-after-fani-willis-and-her-entire-team-are-disqualified\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">crumbling<\/a> following revelations of alleged misconduct by her and her team last year. Meanwhile, in Arizona, a state judge sent Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes&rsquo; &ldquo;so-called &lsquo;fake elector&rsquo; case&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kjzz.org\/politics\/2025-05-19\/judge-sends-arizona-fake-electors-case-back-to-grand-jury\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">back to a grand jury<\/a>,&rdquo; further delaying the case, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/09\/09\/nx-s1-5535584\/michigan-fake-electors-trump-charges-dropped\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NPR<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Charges <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/03\/06\/leftist-wisconsin-ag-just-cant-quit-his-phony-fake-electors-witch-hunt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">brought<\/a> by Democrat Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul against several Trump allies for their roles in Wisconsin&rsquo;s 2020 alternate electors situation remain pending.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-american-freedom-convoy-set-to-launch-on-march-1\/\" title=\"Exclusive: \u2018American Freedom Convoy\u2019 Set To Launch On March 1\">state content writer<\/a> for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2020-election\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2020 Election<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/alternate-electors\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">alternate electors<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/fake-electors\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">fake electors<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/kristen-simmons\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Kristen Simmons<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/lawfare\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">lawfare<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/michigan\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Michigan<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michigan judge dismisses Democrat-backed 2020 elector case<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2484573,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Scales-of-Justice.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[32675,50433,16727,4601,62996],"class_list":["post-2484572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-2020-election","tag-judge-2","tag-lawfare","tag-michigan","tag-trump-electors"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Scales-of-Justice.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2484572"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2484576,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484572\/revisions\/2484576"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2484573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2484572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2484572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2484572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}