U.S. District Judge Linda Parker on Thursday ordered nine lawyers allied with former President Donald Trump to reimburse Detroit and the state of Michigan $175,000 for a lawsuit challenging the results of the 2020 election. In December, Parker had dismissed the lawyers' petition to award Michigan's 16 electoral votes to Trump because, they claimed, President Biden's victory in the state was marred by fraud.
Parker rebuked the lawyers in August, calling their election challenge "a historic and profound abuse of the judicial process" that "was never about fraud — it was about undermining the People's faith in our democracy and debasing the judicial process to do so." She ordered the lawyers, including prominent pro-Trump attorneys Sidney Powell and Lin Wood, to undergo 12 hours of legal education and pay the legal fees Detroit and Michigan incurred defending against the lawsuit.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Parker said Thursday that because many of the plaintiff's attorneys "seek donations from the public to fund lawsuits like this one," she has no doubt they "have the ability to pay this sanction."
The Michigan lawsuit is one of several baseless and unsuccessful challenges to the 2020 election results known as the "Kraken" cases, after Powell's famous vow to "release the Kraken," a mythical sea creature, to devour Biden's victory.
"These lawyers abused the federal courts to advance the big lie," said David Fink, a lawyer for the city of Detroit. "They must pay a price for their misconduct, and this ruling is a good start." Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson agreed. "There are consequences to filing meritless lawsuits to grab media attention and mislead Americans," she said. "The sanctions awarded in this case are a testament to that, even if the dollar amounts pale in comparison to the damage that's already been done to our nation's democracy."
-
Starbucks workers are planning their ‘biggest strike’ everThe Explainer The union said 92% of its members voted to strike
-
‘These wouldn’t be playgrounds for billionaires’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The 5 best nuclear war movies of all time‘A House of Dynamite’ reanimates a dormant cinematic genre for our new age of atomic insecurity
-
Trump tariffs face stiff scrutiny at Supreme CourtSpeed Read Even some of the Court’s conservative justices appeared skeptical
-
The longest US government shutdown in historyThe Explainer Federal employees and low-income households have been particularly affected by ‘partisan standoffs’ in Washington
-
Democrats seek 2026 inspiration from special election routsIN THE SPOTLIGHT High-profile wins are helping a party demoralized by Trump’s reelection regain momentum
-
‘Not all news is bad’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
A most profitable presidencyfeature Donald Trump has added $3 billion to his wealth since returning to the White House. How?
-
Has Zohran Mamdani shown the Democrats how to win again?Today’s Big Question New York City mayoral election touted as victory for left-wing populists but moderate centrist wins elsewhere present more complex path for Democratic Party
-
Trump to partly fund SNAP as shutdown talks progressSpeed Read The administration has said it will cover about 50% of benefits
-
Trump’s White House ballroom: a threat to the republic?Talking Point Trump be far from the first US president to leave his mark on the Executive Mansion, but to critics his remodel is yet more overreach
