Lawyers allied with Trump penalized over Michigan lawsuit

DETROIT — Nine lawyers allied with former President Donald Trump face financial penalties and other sanctions after a judge Wednesday said they had abused the court system with a lawsuit that challenged Michigan’s election results that certified Joe Biden as the winner.

U.S. District Judge Linda Parker said the lawsuit last November was a sham intended to deceive the court and the public.

“Despite the haze of confusion, commotion and chaos counsel intentionally attempted to create by filing this lawsuit, one thing is perfectly clear: Plaintiffs’ attorneys have scorned their oath, flouted the rules, and attempted to undermine the integrity of the judiciary along the way,” Parker said in the opening of a scathing 110-page opinion.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of six Republican voters who wanted Parker to decertify Michigan’s election results and impound voting machines. The judge declined in December, calling the request “stunning in its scope and breathtaking in its reach.”

The state and Detroit subsequently asked the judge to order sanctions against Sidney Powell, L. Lin Wood and seven other attorneys whose names were on the lawsuit. Parker agreed, telling the state and city to tally the costs of defending the lawsuit and submit the figures.

The judge ordered 12 hours of legal education, including six hours in election law, for each attorney. Parker’s decision will also be sent to the states where the lawyers are licensed for possible disciplinary action there.