Nevada judge dismisses GOP 'fake voters' case

Lina Portman2 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

Top line

A Nevada judge dismissed an indictment against six Republicans for submitting a false voter roll after the 2020 election after determining she did not have jurisdiction over the case and should have been filed elsewhere in the state, according to several media outlets.

Clark County District Judge Mary Kay Holthus reportedly said she didn't see what jurisdiction she had. … (+) on events in two other counties.

TNS

Highlights

Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus issued her ruling Friday afternoon, saying the alleged acts took place in Carson City and Douglas County and those jurisdictions would have been appropriate for charges be filed, but that it did not have jurisdiction. the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford told reporters that “the judge made a mistake” and said they would appeal “immediately” and take the case to the state Supreme Court, l 'Associated Press.

Six Nevada Republicans who allegedly “falsely represented themselves as state electors” were indicted last December for their role in the fake elector scheme to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the January 6, 2021 election.

Get breaking news text alerts from Forbes: We send SMS alerts so you're always up to date with the biggest stories making headlines of the day. Send “Alerts” by SMS to (201) 335-0739 or register here.

Large number

Five. As a result, numerous states – Nevada, Michigan, Georgia, Arizona and Wisconsin – have filed lawsuits against Republican officials for their role in the alleged fake voter scheme to keep former President Donald Trump in power. Trump himself faces charges in Georgia and federally in Washington for his efforts to overturn his election defeat.

Key context

Nevada was one of seven states where, in the weeks after Biden's victory, Republican officials gathered to vote on a fake slate of electors falsely claiming that Trump had won their state, and submitted to Congress as part of a larger plan to prevent verification of election results. in 2021. Ford, Nevada's attorney general, had testified months before the six people were charged that he did not believe there was a state law that could remedy this behavior, so he would not charge them not, but there were reports in November 2023 that it had reversed course and investigated. The six Nevada Republicans were charged with offering a false instrument to file and use a false instrument, each carrying penalties of one to five years in prison and fines of up to $10,000 and $5,000 .

Surprising fact

If the attorney general loses the appeal, he won't be able to file charges in any of the other counties Holthus suggested because the statute of limitations expired last December, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.