State Rep. Jay DeBoyer today pointed to a recent court ruling that provided major developments in transparency for the state’s elections process and Attorney General Dana Nessel’s continued failed lawfare attempts against the people of Michigan.

A Hillsdale County judge dismissed felony charges brought by Nessel against a former election clerk and attorney who were accused of providing unauthorized access to voting equipment following the 2020 presidential election.

“The judge ruled that a faulty understanding of our state’s Freedom of Information Act had caused certain voter information to be perceived as confidential,” said DeBoyer, who chairs the House Oversight Committee and oversaw elections for nearly a dozen years prior to serving in the Legislature. “This decision pokes clear holes in Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s continued and tired argument that she can’t hand over election training materials to our committee because it would jeopardize sensitive information. This is information that would give representatives of the people a clearer picture of how Michigan conducts its elections process and if that process is working within statute. This is a question we get asked routinely by people we all represent, and the people deserve answers.

“This is also another troubling instance where the state’s chief law enforcement officer has pursued hyper-partisan legal action against Michigan citizens. Dana Nessel is quick to close investigations involving her friends and political allies, like Traci Kornak, and say there’s nothing to see here. But you’ll be up against it for years if you’re a local clerk or barber trying to make a living. Once again, this was the weaponization of government at its worst from our attorney general.”

Last year, the Michigan House filed a lawsuit against Benson for failing to comply with a subpoena and held her in civil contempt for her refusal to hand over subpoenaed training materials. Michigan law gives clear statutory authority to the Legislature to issue subpoenas on matters before their committees, also providing that anyone who “fails on demand to produce any papers, books or documents” may be found to be in contempt of the Legislature.

No agreement was reached for the sharing of documents during mediation as the lawsuit has continued in the Michigan Court of Claims.