Supreme Court won’t review sanctions against pro-Trump lawyers who filed frivolous 2020 election suits
By John Fritze, CNN
(CNN) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to revisit sanctions levied against two pro-Trump attorneys who filed frivolous lawsuits challenging the outcome of the 2020 election in Michigan.
Sidney Powell and Lin Wood filed separate appeals asking the justices to review sanctions imposed by a US district court in 2021. Though their cases involved several technical arguments, both claimed sanctions would make it less likely for lawyers to take “unpopular” cases to court.
The Supreme Court denied both appeals without offering any comment on the case.
The Michigan-based lawsuit was one of several unsuccessful claims brought by Trump supporters in 2020 that asserted the election results were illegitimate. The Michigan suit alleged a sweeping conspiracy with ties to Venezuela and China. The lawsuits were ultimately dismissed in early 2021.
Wood argued in part that while his name was listed on the signature page as one of the attorneys involved in the case, he did not sign the document. Powell, and several other attorneys who joined her appeal, argued in part that the sanctions should be tossed out because she and others were not properly notified of them in advance.
The 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals largely upheld the sanctions.
In addition to the sanctions in Michigan, Powell pleaded guilty last year to 2020 election-related crimes in Georgia, and Wood gave up his law license as part of a 2020-realted disciplinary case.
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