Judge sanctions Sidney Powell and other pro-Trump lawyers over voter fraud claims
- Powell, a former campaign lawyer for Donald Trump, is among lawyers who filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn US President Joe Biden’s election victory
- Parker formally requested that a disciplinary body investigate whether the pro-Trump lawyers should be disbarred
In a highly anticipated written ruling, US District Judge Linda Parker in Detroit said the pro-Trump lawyers should have investigated the Republican former president’s voter fraud claims more carefully before suing.
Parker formally requested that a disciplinary body investigate whether the pro-Trump lawyers should be disbarred. The judge also ordered the lawyers to attend classes on the ethical requirements for filing lawsuits.
The judge said Powell and her co-counsel in the case “have scorned their oath, flouted the rules, and attempted to undermine the integrity of the judiciary along the way”.
Parker dismissed the Michigan lawsuit last December, saying in a written decision that Powell’s voter fraud claims were “nothing but speculation and conjecture” and that, in any event, the Texas lawyer waited too long to file her lawsuit.
Powell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.