Nevada GOP chair Michael McDonald, right, shakes hands with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign event, Jan. 27, 2024, in Las Vegas. Judge Mary Kay Holthus, who dismissed an election forgery case against McDonald the following June, seen in the inset. (Main image: AP Photo/John Locher, File; image of Holthus: KVVU)
A state judge in Nevada has tossed the forgery case against six GOPers who had been charged with illegally presenting certificates that former President Donald Trump won the state’s 2020 presidential election.
Judge Mary Kay Holthus ruled that prosecutors brought the case to the wrong jurisdiction. From Clark County court records (emphasis ours):
George Kelesis, Esq. present on behalf of Deft. DeGraffenreid, Brian Hardy, Esq. present on behalf of Deft. Hindle, Margaret McLetchie, Esq. present on behalf of Deft. Law, Richard Wright, Esq. present on behalf of Deft. McDonald, Sigal Chattah, Esq. present on behalf of Deft. Meehan, Monti Levy, Esq. present on behalf of Deft. Rice. All Defts. present out of custody via Zoom video conference. PETITION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS AND JOINDER IN MEMORANDUM OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES JAMES WALTER DEGRAFFENREID III’S JOINDER IN MOTION TO DISMISS Court noted it would make sense to start with the Motion to Dismiss. Statements by Mr. Wright. Mr. Wright requested Court dismiss the instant case for lack of jurisdiction. Arguments by Mr. Rashbrook in opposition to the instant Motion. Colloquy regarding jurisdiction. Court noted everything took place up north and either of those jurisdictions would be the appropriate one. Court further noted it didn’t think it had jurisdiction over the instant case. COURT ORDERED, Motion to Dismiss was hereby GRANTED as set forth in Defendants papers, and further, everything else was MOOT and trial date VACATED. Colloquy regarding appeal and trial dates. Ms. Engler inquired about the Findings of Fact, in which Court advised defense counsel would prepare and submit to the State for approval as to form and content. NIC (ALL DEFTS.)
Trump, the incumbent, lost Nevada, not to mention the popular and electoral college votes to winner and current president Joe Biden. He baselessly continued to assert that he actually won the election and should be serving a second-term.
The defendants, all Republicans, in the Nevada case were state GOP chairman Michael McDonald as well as national party committee member Jim DeGraffenreid, Storey County clerk Jim Hindle, Clark County Republican party chairman Jesse Law, national and Douglas County committee member Shawn Meehan, and local party member Eileen Rice, according to The Associated Press.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat, should not have brought the case in Las Vegas, but instead of Carson City or Reno, where the allegations took place, the defense reportedly argued. Ford reportedly said he will bring this to the Nevada Supreme Court.
Holthus is, incidentally, the judge in an unrelated incident in which a defendant launched himself at her during sentencing.
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