A judge in Texas has dismissed the disciplinary charges filed against Sidney Powell by state regulators last year. The State Bar of Texas Commission for Lawyer Discipline had sued Powell in March 2021, alleging that she had filed lawsuits without a reasonable basis challenging Joe Biden’s victories in key battleground states during the 2020 US Presidential Election. However, Judge Andrea Bouressa of Collin County District Court stated in her decision on Wednesday that there were “numerous defects” in the evidence presented by the state bar and found it challenging to find evidence that the bar attempted to cite in the case. As a result, she only considered two of the eight exhibits filed by the commission. The ruling “resolves all claims between all parties and is final and appealable,” said Bouressa.
The Texas state bar representative has stated that the commission will review the decision, while Powell’s attorney Robert Holmes has not yet responded to a request for comment. Powell was one of the most prominent lawyers to bring lawsuits after the 2020 election, alleging massive misconduct in battleground states won by Democrat Joe Biden. In her failed lawsuits in Michigan and Wisconsin, she alleged a vast fraud linking voting machines to the late Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez and hackers from China and Iran.
However, in 2021, a federal judge in Detroit sanctioned Powell and other lawyers, describing her case as “a historic and profound abuse of the judicial process.” Powell and the other lawyers are appealing the sanctions order to the 6th Circuit US Court of Appeals.
The decision may also have political implications, as it could encourage other pro-Trump lawyers to continue promoting false claims about the election. The ongoing controversy surrounding the 2020 election has fueled concerns about the erosion of democratic norms and the rule of law in the United States. While dismissing the charges against Powell may provide some relief for her and her supporters, it is unlikely to resolve the broader issues surrounding the legitimacy of the election and the future of American democracy.
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Judge tosses attorney ethics case against Trump ally Sidney Powell