LANSING – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court entered an order denying petitions for certiorari filed by attorneys Sidney Powell and Lin Wood seeking to overturn sanctions imposed against them for filing a meritless challenge to the November 2020 presidential election.
In June of 2023, a panel of the Sixth Circuit upheld the monetary and disciplinary sanctions imposed against Powell, Wood, and several other attorneys by U.S. District Court Judge Linda V. Parker in August of 2021.
In her opinion granting the sanctions, Judge Parker wrote, “This lawsuit represents a historic and profound abuse of the judicial process. It is one thing to take on the charge of vindicating rights associated with an allegedly fraudulent election.
”It is another to take on the charge of deceiving a federal court and the American people into believing that rights were infringed, without regard to whether any laws or rights were in fact violated. This is what happened here.”
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issued the following statements in response:
“Sidney Powell, Lin Wood and the other attorneys filed meritless arguments in court with the intention of undermining our democratic process in violation of their oaths as lawyers.
“I’m pleased to see that the Court has ensured there is accountability for the attorneys who perpetuated these false claims, and it is my hope these sanctions will help serve as both punishment and deterrent against future political abuses of the courts,” said Nessel.
“There must be consequences for lawyers who lie about our elections and then abuse the court system in order to subvert the will of the people. Today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding sanctions for these attorneys sends a strong message for 2024: attack our democracy with meritless claims and you will be held accountable,” said Benson.
