Listen to the article
Nevada Supreme Court Sends Fake Electors Case Back to Clark County
The Nevada Supreme Court has ruled that a case against six Nevada Republicans accused of submitting false election certificates in 2020 can proceed in Clark County, reversing an earlier dismissal and breathing new life into the prosecution.
In an opinion released Thursday, the state’s highest court unanimously overturned a lower court judge who had dismissed the case on grounds that Clark County was an improper venue. The Supreme Court determined that Nevada law allows for multiple venues to be appropriate for the same offense, effectively sending the case back to Las Vegas-based Clark County, which tends to lean Democratic.
“Today the Nevada Supreme Court affirmed what we have maintained all along — that Clark County is the proper and lawful venue to prosecute our case,” Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford said in a statement following the decision.
The case centers on six Republican electors who, despite Joe Biden winning Nevada by more than 30,000 votes in the 2020 presidential election, gathered outside the Nevada Legislature to sign certificates falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner of the state’s six electoral votes. The ceremony was streamed online, with the video footage later becoming evidence in the case against them.
Among the defendants are Michael McDonald, chairman of the Nevada Republican Party, and Jesse Law, the former Clark County Republican Party chairman who was recently removed from his position in a July election. All six had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The legal dispute focused heavily on jurisdiction questions. After the signing ceremony, one of the electors mailed the fraudulent documents from Douglas County to multiple destinations: the U.S. archivist and the Senate president in Washington, D.C., the Nevada secretary of state in Carson City, and a federal judge in Las Vegas. While the defense argued that the envelope sent to Las Vegas was subsequently redirected to Reno, the court ultimately sided with Ford’s argument that Clark County maintained proper jurisdiction.
The Nevada case represents a rare advancement among similar prosecutions of fake electors in swing states. In Michigan, a judge recently dismissed charges against 15 Republicans who had been charged by that state’s Democratic attorney general. In Arizona, a judge sent the fake electors case back to a grand jury for more comprehensive instructions about federal law requirements.
As a precautionary measure during the appeals process, Ford filed a separate case against the defendants in Carson City in December 2023, charging them with “uttering a forged instrument” to ensure the statute of limitations wouldn’t expire while awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision. That case will likely be withdrawn now that the Clark County prosecution can proceed.
The defendants have consistently characterized the case as politically motivated, claiming they were exercising their First Amendment rights to criticize Nevada’s election processes. Their representatives declined to comment on Thursday’s ruling.
This development comes amid a broader national context of attempts to hold accountable those who participated in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Just this week, former President Donald Trump pardoned several allies, including his former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who faced accusations related to schemes to overturn the election.
Similar criminal cases against Republican electors were initiated in Georgia, Arizona, and Michigan, though with varying degrees of success. The Nevada case now returns to Clark County, where prosecutors will have the opportunity to present their evidence that the six Republicans knowingly submitted false election documents in an attempt to overturn legitimate election results.
Ford, a Democrat who is running for governor in 2026, has made prosecuting election-related crimes a significant focus of his tenure as attorney general.
Fact Checker
Verify the accuracy of this article using The Disinformation Commission analysis and real-time sources.
11 Comments
This is a complex issue, but I’m glad to see the Supreme Court ruling that allows the prosecution to move forward. Submitting false election documents is a serious offense and should be thoroughly investigated, regardless of party affiliation.
This is a complex issue with a lot of political implications, but at the end of the day, it’s about upholding the integrity of our elections. I’m glad to see the Supreme Court taking this seriously.
Agreed. Preserving the democratic process should be the top priority, regardless of party affiliations or personal biases. I look forward to seeing how this case unfolds.
Interesting development in the ongoing ‘fake electors’ saga. Seems the Nevada Supreme Court is taking this matter seriously and wants it properly adjudicated in the appropriate venue. It will be worth watching how this case progresses in Clark County.
As a concerned citizen, I hope this case is handled with the utmost care and diligence. The public deserves to know the truth about what happened, and any wrongdoing should be addressed accordingly.
The right to free and fair elections is fundamental to democracy. While I’m unsure of all the details, I hope this case is handled objectively and transparently, with any wrongdoing punished accordingly.
This is an important ruling that upholds the integrity of Nevada’s elections. It’s critical that we protect the democratic process and ensure all votes are counted accurately and fairly.
I agree, the sanctity of elections must be preserved. Allowing false electoral documents to go unchallenged would set a dangerous precedent.
While I have my own political views, I believe cases like this should be handled objectively and without partisan bias. The law must be applied equally, regardless of which side is accused of wrongdoing.
Well said. The rule of law must be upheld, even when it’s politically inconvenient. I hope this case is resolved in a fair and transparent manner.
As a voter, I’m concerned about any attempts to undermine the electoral process, regardless of political leanings. I’ll be following this case closely to see how it unfolds and what implications it may have going forward.