A Carson City judge has ordered the high-profile “fake elector” case to move forward to trial court. Six Nevada Republicans, including Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald and former Clark County GOP chair Jesse Law, face charges for allegedly attempting to award the state’s electoral votes to Donald Trump in 2020, despite Joe Biden’s victory by over 30,000 votes. The defendants are accused of signing false certificates purporting to designate Trump as the state’s winner.
The group is charged with uttering false instruments, specifically forgery, as part of the alleged scheme. Defense attorney Monti Levy, who represents Eileen Rice, confirmed that all six Republican alternate electors were “bound up” by the court’s decision.
Senior Judge Derek Dreiling of Carson City Justice Court made the ruling to bind the case over to District Court after a two-day preliminary hearing. This development follows the dismissal of the case by a Clark County judge due to lack of jurisdiction, after which Attorney General Aaron Ford’s office refiled the charges in Carson City.
The preliminary hearing had previously been delayed in September after a state government cyberattack hindered the attorney general’s office from preparing its case. With the case now moving forward, the six defendants will face trial in district court.