A Nevada judge dismissed the alternate electors’ case against six Republicans accused of submitting fraudulent certificates to Congress after the 2020 election. Clark County Judge Mary Kay Holthus ruled that the alleged crime occurred in Douglas County, not Clark County, and therefore dismissed the case. The defendants faced charges of offering a false instrument for filing and uttering a forged instrument, which could result in up to five years in prison.
The defense argued that Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford brought the case in the wrong venue, Las Vegas, instead of Carson City or Reno, where the alleged crime took place. The judge’s decision to dismiss the case canceled the trial scheduled for January. The defendants included state GOP chairman Michael McDonald, national party committee member Jim DeGraffenreid, national and Douglas County committee member Shawn Meehan, and Eileen Rice, a party member from the Lake Tahoe area.
After the hearing, Attorney General Ford stated that they would appeal the decision. However, defense attorney Margaret McLetchie suggested that it was unlikely the case would proceed due to statute of limitations restrictions. Earlier arguments by the defense claimed that the choice of venue was politically motivated, as Clark County tends to vote Democrat.
In late 2023, Ford accused the Republicans of undermining faith in democracy after the 2020 election. Media outlets described the defendants as “fake electors” or “false electors.” Nevada is a battleground state, and criminal charges have been brought in Michigan, Georgia, and Arizona related to the 2020 election. Former President Trump was behind Biden by about 30,000 votes in Nevada in 2020.
The case in Nevada is part of a broader legal and political battle over the 2020 election results in several swing states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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