In the run-up to next years presidential election a legal-vs-legal fight is getting more intense. The 65 Project (named for previous court cases) has filed over 80 ethics complaints against lawyers who helped Donald Trump challenge his previous defeat
The groupʼs actions sparked a strong push-back: Stephen Millerʼs America First Legal filed a complaint against Michael Teter (the 65 Projects main lawyer) just last week. They say his group tries to scare-off conservative attorneys from taking election cases; while Teter thinks its about protecting democracy from misuse
Some interesting numbers show whats happening in battle-ground states: about 1% of Arizona voters (thatʼs 44‚000 people) got caught up in a citizenship-proof case. The court said no to quick changes before election day‚ but appeals are still going
- 4 lawyers got some kind of punishment
- 3 complaints were thrown out
- 12 lawyers who got complaints are still working on voting cases
Recent weeks showed mixed results for election lawsuits: they lost 11 times but won some too. In Virginia they got ok to remove 1‚600 people from voter lists (even though some might be real citizens). Pennsylvania made it easier to ask for mail-in ballots – thats a win for Trumps team
Erick Kaardal who got in trouble for his previous election work is back with new cases: he thinks Iran might mess with overseas votes but the judge called these “phantom fears“ and threw out his case. The lawyer says hes never had problems in his 32-yr career and might appeal
The fight goes on as both sides dont give up: one group spends money on ads warning lawyers about losing licenses‚ while the other says its all just intimidation. With elections coming up next year – this legal chess game isnt over yet