Key facts
- A Nevada judge dismissed the case against six Republicans accused of submitting a false certificate of election results.
- The defendants allegedly falsely declared Donald Trump the winner of Nevada's 2020 presidential election.
- The case involved charges of forgery and offering a false instrument for filing.
- The dismissal is the latest in a series of setbacks for fake elector prosecutions in swing states.
- Similar cases have been dismissed in Michigan and Georgia.
A Nevada judge has dismissed the case against six Republicans accused of submitting a false certificate of election results in the 2020 presidential election. The dismissal represents the latest setback for prosecutors attempting to hold fake electors accountable in swing states.
The six Nevada Republicans, including Michael McDonald, the chair of the Nevada Republican Party, and Jesse Law, the former chair of the Clark County Republican Party, had pleaded not guilty to charges including forgery and offering a false instrument for filing. They were accused of signing a certificate after the 2020 election, falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner of the state's six electoral votes, despite Joe Biden winning Nevada by over 30,000 votes. Footage of the ceremony was used as evidence.
Prosecutors argued the defendants intended their document to be mistaken for actual electoral votes that then-Vice President Mike Pence would count. The defense contended that submitting the certificate was an act of "political theater" to publicize concerns about the election and preserve their rights, without intent to deceive a government agency.
Similar cases have been dismissed in Michigan and Georgia, and a federal case against Donald Trump was dropped. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes recently dismissed her office's criminal case but intends to seek a new indictment through a grand jury. A fake electors case remains ongoing in Wisconsin.