A Hillsdale County judge last week dismissed felony charges against a former township clerk and her attorney who were accused of allowing unauthorized access to voter data and election systems following the 2020 presidential election, ruling that a lower court committed legal errors in sending the case to trial.
Circuit Court Judge Sara Lisznyai ruled that sending Stephanie Scott and Stefanie Lambert to trial on felony charges was based on an “error of law” and an “abuse of discretion,” pointing to a flawed interpretation of whether the voter data in question was legally considered confidential.
Scott, who served as Adams Township Clerk in 2021, had refused to turn over a missing tabulator during efforts to examine claims that the 2020 election was rigged against President Trump, while Lambert represented her at the time. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged both in 2024, alleging they permitted an unauthorized computer examiner to access non-public voter information.
The court found that the decision to send the case to trial relied on an incorrect understanding that the Michigan Freedom of Information Act classified the voter data in question as confidential, leading to the dismissal of the felony counts.
Scott still faces a misdemeanor charge tied to disobeying an order from the secretary of state, which will proceed at the district court level.
