A federal judge sanctioned several attorneys Wednesday who fought to overturn the 2020 election results in Michigan over their support of former President Donald Trump.
The lawyers, including Sidney Powell, filed a suit accusing Michigan officials of manipulating ballots to rig the election in President Joe Biden's favor.
U.S. District Court Judge Linda Parker issued a 110-page ruling Wednesday imposing disciplinary actions for Powell and the other attorneys involved, calling their lawsuit "a historic and profound abuse of the judicial process."
"This case was never about fraud," the judge said. "It was about undermining the people's faith in our democracy and debasing the judicial process to do so."
Parker ordered the attorneys to pay for legal fees incurred by city and state election officials named in their frivolous suits. Additionally, the judge said the attorneys must submit to 12 hours of "continuing legal education" courses to brush up on their working knowledge of pleading standards and election law.
The discipline could become more severe, including losing their ability to practice law. Judge Parker said she referred the disciplinary cases to authorities "for investigation and possible suspension or disbarment."
"It is one thing to take on the charge of vindicating rights associated with an allegedly fraudulent election. It is another to take on the charge of deceiving a federal court and the American people into believing that rights were infringed, without regard to whether any laws or rights were in fact violated," Parker said in her ruling. "This is what happened here."
Another former Trump attorney, Rudy Giuliani, had already been suspended from practicing law in New York and Washington, D.C. due to his attempts to get election results overturned.
Powell vehemently blasted election conspiracy theories in court and on television. She is defending herself against a defamation suit brought by Dominion Voting Systems. Her lawyers have argued "no reasonable person would conclude" that her statements were factual.
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