Charges dismissed against 15 Michigan ‘false electors,’ including Grosse Pointe Farms woman

GROSSE POINTE FARMS — A Grosse Pointe Farms woman who had been among a group of 16 Michiganders facing felony charges for their alleged role in the “false electors” scheme after the 2020 presidential election is no longer looking at a possible trial.

Citing a lack of evidence, Judge Kristen D. Simmons, of 54-A District Court in Ingham County, dismissed felony charges against 15 of the defendants on Sept. 9 — including those against Mayra Rodriguez, of the Farms, an attorney and former at-large board member of the Eastside Republican Club. In 2020, Rodriguez was the 14th Congressional District chair in Michigan and a Republican National Convention delegate.

The defendants were accused of trying to falsely certify that Republican Donald Trump had won the 2020 presidential contest in Michigan.

Whether the defendants were “right, wrong or indifferent,” Simmons said they “seriously believed” there were problems with the election.

“I believe they were executing their constitutional right to seek redress,” Simmons said.

The defendants had been facing charges that included conspiracy to commit forgery, forgery, conspiracy to commit uttering and publishing, election law forgery and conspiracy to commit election law forgery.

After entering into a cooperating agreement with Nessel, the charges were dropped against one of the defendants, James Renner. The other 15 defendants pleaded not guilty.

Wright Blake is the attorney who represented Rodriguez. He’s also her husband and acknowledges that they “went through a lot” since charges were filed in 2023.

Blake said Nessel’s office “put an emphasis on the fact that (Rodriguez) was an attorney …  and she should have known better,” but he said Rodriguez has no specialization in election law and is a lawyer for indigent mothers trying to get their children back.

“She’s always cooperated with the investigation, whether it was federal or state,” Blake said. “She didn’t do anything wrong. We’re just glad it’s over.”

In a press conference after the court hearing Sept. 9, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel called the judge’s decision a “disappointing ruling.”

“This is the most dangerous, slippery slope that exists for American democracy, when the courts determine that violations of election law should not even be heard by a jury,” Nessel said.

Nessel feels she made the right call in charging the defendants.

“We are talking about 16 people who conspired to nullify the votes of the other 2,649,851 voters who happen to disagree with them,” Nessel said. “The evidence was clear: They lied. They knew they had lied, and they tried to steal the votes of millions of Michiganders. And if they can get away with this, well, what can’t they get away with next?”

Republicans disagreed with that sentiment and with the charges.

Michigan Republican Party Chair Jim Runestad said in a prepared statement that the judge’s ruling “restored the public’s faith” in the justice system.

“All 2020 Trump Electors have officially been vindicated,” he said in the statement.

Blake said he’s “proud of” his wife for getting through this difficult time.

“Do I think it was political? I do,” Blake said of the charges. “That’s why we have a court system. The judge saw right through it. She was very thorough.”

Nessel is a Democrat.

Simmons was appointed to the bench in 2019 by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat.

It wasn’t known at press time if Rodriguez or any of the other defendants could be facing charges in the future with regard to this case.

“We do have the right to appeal the judge’s decision not to bind over the case, and we are evaluating that,” Nessel said.

Staff Writer Mary Beth Almond contributed to this report.