The judge issued the order on Wednesday, saying the plaintiffs lacked standing.
A federal judge on Wednesday rejected a Republican-backed lawsuit targeting Michigan election laws approved in recent years.
U.S. District Judge Jane Beckering, a Biden-nominated judge, wrote that the plaintiffs—11 Republican state lawmakers—were not able to prove they were injured by the laws. The lawmakers had sued Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and state election officials, saying that 2022 voter-initiated changes to voting laws should be declared invalid because only the state Legislature should be able to regulate them.
The legislators, Judge Beckering added, “have not met their burden at the pleading stage to demonstrate injury-in-fact and have concomitantly failed to demonstrate … standing,” according to her order.
The lawmakers targeted two ballot initiatives that allowed for universal absentee ballots and universal early voting, along with other changes. The two ballot initiatives brought no-reason absentee voting, in-person early voting, and other election changes to Michigan, and both were supported by a wide majority of voters.
They argued that the U.S. Constitution’s Elections Clause allows for legislatures to regulate the places, times, and manner to hold federal elections and argued that the ballots infringed on the legislature’s rights to regulate elections.
After the ruling, state Sen. Jim Runestad, a Republican, said the group and their lawyers who brought the lawsuit were not surprised by the federal judge’s order on Wednesday. He said the order is “off base” and plans to appeal so that it can have an impact on the November 2024 elections.
Democratic state officials, including Attorney General Dana Nessel, had argued that the legislators did not have standing to bring their challenge. She hailed the judge’s ruling.
“This lawsuit was absurd and baseless from its inception, and I am glad the Court saw the plaintiffs[‘] obvious lack of standing,” Ms. Nessel said in a statement. “Our democracy is participatory, and in Michigan citizen initiatives and referendums have long played a vital role in making our state government better reflect the values of our people. I am proud to stand up for democracy in Michigan, and will robustly defend our voters’ rights to their own constitution, and to work democratically to create the State and future they dream of.”
Separate Lawsuit Filed
After the 2020 election, Republicans asserted that there were enough irregularities in Michigan, a key battleground state, to have swung it away from former President Donald Trump.
About a month ago, the Republican National Committee (RNC) sued Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, to trim down the state’s voter rolls. The suit argued that the state is violating a federal voting law that mandates officials to maintain clean registration rolls.
“Let’s call this what it is: a PR campaign masquerading as a meritless lawsuit filled with baseless accusations that seek to diminish people’s faith in the security of our elections. Shame on anyone who abuses the legal process to sow seeds of doubt in our democracy,” she added.
Polls have suggested that, like in previous elections, Michigan will again be a pivotal state in deciding who will become the next president. A survey released in March by Quinnipiac University showed President Trump leading President Joe Biden by about 5 percentage points in the state in a five-way race that includes several third-party candidates.
In a head-to-head matchup, the former president would get 48 percent support, compared with President Biden’s 45 percent support, the poll also showed.
Original News Source Link – Epoch Times
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