(WXYZ) — A federal judge ruled that attorneys who challenged the Michigan election results should face sanctions for bringing the case.
Judge Linda Parker also ordered that her decision be sent to the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission and the disciplinary authorities where each attorney has been admitted.
Among the lawyers named are Sidney Powell and Lin Wood, both allies of former President Donald Trump. Powell is licensed in Texas and Wood is licensed in Georgia.
The other named attornies include Emily Newman (Virginia), Julia Haller (the District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey), Brandon Johnson (the District of Columbia, New York, and Nevada), Scott Hagerstrom (Michigan), Howard Kleinhendler (New York and New Jersey), Gregory Rohl (Michigan), and Stefanie Lynn Junttila (Michigan).
Writing "This lawsuit should never have been filed," Parker ordered the attorneys to pay the fees and costs incurred by the State of Michigan and the City of Detroit in defending against the lawsuit. Both the state and city have 14 days to "submit time and expense records, specifying for each attorney who performed work on the matter, the date, the hours expended, the nature of the work performed, and, where applicable, the attorney’s hourly rate."
The attorneys do have the right to submit objections to the requested amounts within 14 days of their filings.
The court also ordered the attorneys to complete 12 hours of continuing legal education in the subjects of pleading standards and election law within the next six months. They must pay for the courses, which must be offered by a non-partisan organization, and must provide affidavits to the court "describing the content and length of the courses attended to satisfy this requirement."
Parker spent hours during a July hearing drilling deeply into details about an unsuccessful lawsuit that challenged Michigan’s 2020 election results.
The lawsuit alleging fraud was dropped after Parker found no evidence that votes for Trump were destroyed or given to Joe Biden.
