Judge dismisses Nevada alternate electors case over jurisdictional concerns

A Nevada judge on Friday dismissed charges against Republicans who filed a slate of pro-Trump electors in the 2020 election, citing a lack of jurisdiction.

A Nevada grand jury in December indicted the six Republicans as part of a case from Nevada Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford. Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus asserted that the case should be held in Carson City or Douglas County, the Nevada Independent reported. The pro-Trump slate was signed in Carson City and the relevant documents were mailed from Douglas County.

"You have literally, in my opinion, a crime that has occurred in another jurisdiction. It’s so appropriately up north and so appropriately not here," she said.

Prosecutors may not refile the case in either venue, however, as the statute of limitations has expired, according to the Nevada Independent. Ford's office plans to appeal the matter to the state supreme court.

Nevada was one of a handful of states to submit alternate, pro-Trump slates of electors during the 2020 election, with Georgia, Arizona, and Michigan also submitting similar slates. The effort has prompted several legal challenges.

"When the efforts to undermine faith in our democracy began after the 2020 election, I made it clear that I would do everything in my power to defend the institutions of our nation and our state," Ford said in December. "We cannot allow attacks on democracy to go unchallenged. Today’s indictments are the product of a long and thorough investigation, and as we pursue this prosecution, I am confident that our judicial system will see justice done."