A Clark County judge has dismissed the charges against six Nevada Republicans who submitted a slate of electoral votes for President Trump in 2020, citing that the county was not the appropriate jurisdiction for the case.
During a hearing in Clark County District Court, Judge Mary Kay Holthus rejected state prosecutors’ arguments that Clark County was the proper venue. Clark County's Democratic leanings would mean the jury pool would likely not favor the Republican defendants.
The defense argued that Carson City, where the signing ceremony occurred, or Douglas County, where the documents were mailed, were more suitable locations.
The state cannot refile the case in northern counties due to a three-year statute of limitations that expired in December.
Defense attorney Maggie McLetchie remarked, “They’re done,” indicating the state’s inability to pursue the case further.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford immediately announced plans to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court, stating, “the judge got it wrong.”
This ruling is significant as it is the first dismissal of a case connected to the Trump campaign’s submission of a slate of electors. Similar cases are ongoing in Michigan, Georgia, Arizona, and Wisconsin.
The defendants — Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald, Republican National Committeeman Jim DeGraffenreid, Clark County GOP Chairman Jesse Law, state party Vice Chair Jim Hindle, Shawn Meehan, and Eileen Rice — faced two counts each from a grand jury in December for submitting ‘false’ electoral documents.
Prosecutors contended that some preparatory actions and document drafts occurred in Clark County, making it an appropriate venue. However, defense attorney Richard Wright referenced a 2021 Nevada Supreme Court ruling stating that preparatory acts alone do not justify venue, a point the judge agreed with.
Wright also argued that the documents were mistakenly sent to a federal judge in Las Vegas instead of Reno, as confirmed by court clerk testimony, which he claimed was withheld from the grand jury.
Attorney Matthew Rashbrook from the attorney general’s office argued that no single county could claim full jurisdiction, a point Judge Holthus disagreed with entirely.
