by Scott McClallen
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Sidney Powell, a lawyer aligned with former President Donald Trump who challenged the 2020 presidential election results in Michigan.
The nation’s top court included no comment with the Tuesday rejection.
In 2021, a court levied $175,000 of sanctions against Powell and attorney Lin Wood for submitting court documents based on “theories, conjecture, and speculation…” U.S. District Judge Linda Parker of Michigan’s Eastern District Parker wrote.
2020, Biden won Michigan by about 154,000 votes. Almost four years later, this rejection followed.
Of the $175,000, the city of Detroit would have received $153,285.62 and the state of Michigan would have received $21,964.75 to cover court costs.
The sanctions were later lowered to $150,000.
In August, Parker sanctioned the lawyers and ordered them to undergo 12 hours of continuing legal education. In 2020, Parker described one of the Michigan lawsuits as seeking to “ignore the will of millions of voters.”
The “lawsuit seems to be less about achieving the relief Plaintiffs seek – as much of that relief is beyond the power of this Court – and more about the impact of their allegations on People’s faith in the democratic process and their trust in our government,” Parker wrote.
Powell gained notoriety in 2020 when she threatened to “release the Kraken”, referring to the lawsuit challenging the 2020 election outcome.
The lawyers sued the city of Detroit and Michigan officials but lost.
In 2023, Powell pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges for election interference in Georgia where she agreed to serve six years of probation, pay a fine and more.
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Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square. A graduate of Hillsdale College, his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org. Previously, he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi. In 2021, he published a book on technology and privacy. He co-hosts the weekly Michigan in Focus podcast.
