Hats off to a downstate judge for a recent ruling in connection to the ham-handed attempt to corrupt the 2020 presidential election.

Two of the alleged fake electors from downstate had asked the court to dismiss charges against them after Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said during a Sept. 18 virtual event that the electors “legit believe” Trump won the election.

“These are people who have been brainwashed,” Nessel said, adding that the case would be tried in a county that is “very, very Democratic-leaning.”

The Associated Press reported that Michigan is one of seven states where false Electoral College certificates were submitted declaring Trump the winner despite the confirmation.

But it’s the only state where the accused false electors face criminal charges.

President Joe Biden won Michigan by nearly 155,000 votes, a result confirmed by a GOP-led state Senate investigation in 2021, AP noted.

AP further reported that Ingham County District Court Judge Kristen Simmons, ruled that the state attorney general’s comments were “speculation” and were not enough evidence to dismiss the case. She said the matter could be further discussed at evidentiary hearings that are set to begin Thursday.

Whether the defendants in the case are innocent or guilty is a matter for the judicial process to decide. Simmons got it right. Let the process play itself out.

— The Mining Journal, Marquette