Advance Notice: Briefs

Michigan appeals court rejects Trump campaign filing

By: Susan J. Demas - November 9, 2020 2:15 pm

President Donald Trump at a Battle Creek rally, Dec. 18, 2019 | Andrew Roth

Last week, a Court of Claims judge dismissed a suit from President Donald Trump’s campaign to stop counting ballots in Michigan.

The Republican’s campaign appealed to the Court of Appeals (COA), but its initial filing by Mark “Thor” Hearne was rejected Monday with the message: “I regret to inform you that your submission is defective.” The COA said the Trump campaign failed to include necessary documentation.

Ballot counting has been completed in Michigan, where unofficial returns show President-elect Joe Biden winning the state by about 150,000 votes — about a 3% margin of victory.

The Trump campaign has filed a number of election lawsuits in several states, but has yet to prove voter irregularities. Trump has refused to concede even after news outlets called the race on Saturday morning.

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Susan J. Demas

Susan J. Demas is a 23-year journalism veteran and one of the state’s foremost experts on Michigan politics, appearing on C-SPAN, MSNBC, CNN, NPR and WKAR-TV’s “Off the Record.” In addition to serving as Editor-in-Chief, she is the Advance’s chief columnist, writing on women, LGBTQ people, the state budget, the economy and more. For almost five years, Susan was the Editor and Publisher of Inside Michigan Politics, the most-cited political newsletter in the state. Susan’s award-winning political analysis has run in more than 100 national, international and regional media outlets, including the Guardian U.K., NBC News, the New York Times, the Detroit News and MLive.