Michigan judge opens up potential charges against Trump supporters in ruling on voting machines

A county prosecutor had sought the decision as he considers whether to criminally charge a group of Trump supporters who allegedly obtained voting machines.

By Madeleine Hubbard

Updated: July 13, 2023 - 10:52am

A judge ruled that Michigan law prohibits a person from possessing a voting tabulator without a court order or authorization from the Secretary of State's office in a decision that lays the groundwork for a county prosecutor to potentially bring criminal charges against supporters of former President Donald Trump.

Oakland County Circuit Judge Phyllis McMillen on Wednesday ruled that the "undue possession" of a tabulator is always a felony in Michigan, not just during an ongoing election or the timeframe before the results are tallied, The Detroit News reported.

Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson had sought the decision as he considers whether to criminally charge a group of Trump supporters who allegedly obtained voting machines following the 2020 election.

Hilson's possible charges come after Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in August that nine people allegedly conspired to improperly gain access to election machines. The group convinced officials in three counties to give them five tabulators, which they then took to Oakland County hotels or rental properties, Nessel's office said.

The group "broke into the machines, printing fake ballots and performing tests on the equipment," the Detroit paper reported.

https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/michigan-judge-opens-potential-charges-against-trump-supporters-ruling-voting

Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor's staff urged libraries to buy her books

The scrutiny surrounding Sotomayor comes as Justice Clarence Thomas is under fire for his friendship with billionaire Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow.

By Madeleine Hubbard

Updated: July 13, 2023 - 7:23am

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's staff hasurged public institutions that hosted the judge as a guest lecturer to purchase her memoir or children's books, materials that she has earned at least $3.7 million for since becoming a justice in 2009.

More than 100 open records requests from The Associated Press to public institutions repeatedly show that Sotomayor'staxpayer-funded staffers performed tasks for her book ventures, which workers in other federal branches are prohibited from doing. However, because the Supreme Court lacks a formal code of conduct, the Sotomayor is not restricted like other government officials.

"This is one of the most basic tenets of ethics laws that protects taxpayer dollars from misuse," former deputy chief counsel at the Office of Congressional Ethics and current Campaign Legal Center general counsel Kedric Payne told the wire service on Tuesday. "The problem at the Supreme Court is there’s no one there to say whether this is wrong."

The Supreme Court defended Sotomayor in a statement: "When she is invited to participate in a book program, Chambers staff recommends the number of books based on the size of the audience so as not to disappoint attendees who may anticipate books being available at an event, and they will put colleges or universities in touch with the Justice’s publisher when asked to do so."

The court also said justices are limited to only earning around $30,00 each year for teaching activities, but money earned from book sales is not included in this.

The scrutiny surrounding Sotomayor comes as Justice Clarence Thomas is under fire for his friendship with billionaire Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow, who paid for elaborate vacations with Thomas.

https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/supreme-court-justice-sotomayors-staff-urged-libraries-buy-her-books