Judge bars ousted Michigan GOP chairwoman from calling herself party leader

A judge on Tuesday barred ousted Michigan GOP Chairwoman Kristina Karamo from claiming to hold the position after the party voted to remove her earlier this year.

Karamo had refused to recognize her removal after 88% of participants in a party meeting voted for it. She has claimed that the meeting was improperly called under the party bylaws and lacked standing.

Kent County Circuit Judge J. Joseph Rossi on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction against her, stating that "[a]ny actions of Ms. Karamo since Jan. 6, 2024, purporting to be taken on behalf of the Michigan Republican state committee are void and have no effect," Axios reported. Karamo has not indicated whether she plans to appeal the decision, but stated that "we will not let this go."

The trial is scheduled for June 10. During the interim, she may not claim to be the state party chairwoman, call a meeting of the party committee, or conduct business on behalf of the Michigan GOP, along with other restrictions.

Former Rep, Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., succeeded Karamo as state party chairman and has vowed to help Republicans make material gains in the Wolverine State during the 2024 elections.

"We have eight months to do what normally takes 18 months to do for a presidential cycle. The opportunity is great. You know, the Biden agenda is not very much embraced here in Michigan," he said last month on the "Just the News, No Noise" television show. "People are feeling the effects of inflation, high interest rates. You know, we're gonna do the same thing we did when I co-chaired the president's campaign in 2016. We delivered Michigan to the Trump campaign first time since the Reagan era. And we won the presidency. We're gonna do that again."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.