Most Michigan Republicans who are facing felony charges for falsely claiming that Donald Trump won the state’s 16 electoral votes in 2020 will have key hearings in October and November. Ingham County District Court Judge Kristen Simmons has scheduled preliminary examinations for six of the 16 GOP electors on October 12, and eight more on November 2. These examinations will determine if there is enough evidence for prosecutors to establish probable cause and proceed to trial.
Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, has accused the electors of election law forgery by signing a false document in which they claimed to be the official electors for Michigan. Despite Trump losing the state to Democrat Joe Biden by 154,000 votes or 3 percentage points, his supporters attempted to reverse the result in the weeks following the November 3, 2020, vote.
Two of the GOP electors, Clifford Frost of Warren and Marian Sheridan of West Bloomfield, will have separate hearings in September and December. Frost’s lawyer, Kevin Kijewski, requested an earlier hearing for his client’s motion, which asks for Frost’s examination to be conducted separately from the other electors. Sheridan’s lawyer, John Freeman, requested a January examination, citing the need for more time to study the information due to the complexity of the case.
Fourteen of the 16 electors appeared in Ingham County District Court over Zoom on Friday as Judge Simmons discussed the future paths of their criminal cases. Nessel’s office announced eight felony charges against each of the Republican electors on July 18. Some of the electors have claimed they signed the false certificate as a precaution in case a future court decision reversed the election, while others stated they were unaware of what they were signing.
As part of their efforts to undermine Biden’s victory, Trump supporters gathered at the then-Michigan Republican Party headquarters on December 14, 2020, and created a false electors certificate, claiming to cast the state’s 16 electoral votes for Trump. The certificate was sent to the National Archives and Congress, falsely claiming that the Trump electors had met inside the Michigan Capitol. However, Biden’s electors were the ones who convened inside the Capitol on that day, while the building was closed to others.
Judge Simmons previously set the preliminary examination for Meshawn Maddock, former co-chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party and one of the 16 GOP electors, for October 12. Stan Grot, an elector and the Shelby Township clerk, will have his examination on November 2. Hank Choate, a seventh-generation dairy farmer from Jackson County, will also return to court for his preliminary examination on November 2.
David Kallman, lawyer for GOP elector Hank Choate, plans to file multiple motions raising “constitutional” issues in the coming weeks. However, he did not specify the nature of these issues during the hearing on Friday morning.
The hearings in October and November will play a crucial role in determining the future of these criminal cases, as the judge will evaluate the evidence and decide if the charges against the Republican electors will proceed to trial.
Original Story at www.detroitnews.com – 2023-08-18 22:01:16
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