Nevada judge dismisses case against six Republicans over 2020 fake elector certificate
The decision follows similar dismissals in Michigan, Georgia and Arizona, with only Wisconsin’s case still ongoing
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Nevada judge dismisses case against six Republicans over 2020 fake elector certificate
Photograph: Las Vegas Review-Journal (embedded from source)
What this story says
- A Nevada judge dismissed charges against six Republicans accused of submitting a false 2020 electoral certificate for Donald Trump.
- The defendants argued the certificate was political theatre; prosecutors said it was meant to deceive officials into counting it on 6 January 2021.
- Similar cases have been dismissed in Michigan, Georgia and Arizona, with only Wisconsin’s case still active.
- Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat running for governor, brought the charges and plans to appeal.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 29 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
70/100
Craft
65/100
Hype
15/100
29 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
Only 2 of the 29 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
On 15 August 2026, a Nevada judge dismissed the case against six Republicans accused of submitting a false electoral certificate in 2020. The certificate declared Donald Trump the winner of Nevada’s six electoral votes, though Joe Biden won the state by more than 30,000 votes. The defendants, including former Nevada Republican Party chair Michael McDonald and former Clark County Republican Party chair Jesse Law, were charged with forgery and offering a false instrument for filing.
The six gathered outside the Nevada Legislature after the election and signed the certificate in a ceremony broadcast online. Prosecutors argued the document was intended to be mistaken for an official count that then-Vice President Mike Pence would accept on 6 January 2021. The defendants’ attorneys said it was political theatre, meant to preserve their right to challenge the election results without intent to deceive.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat running for governor, brought the charges in 2023. His office said it plans to appeal the dismissal. The case was heard in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas and leans Democratic.
What the coverage left out
No right-rated outlet ran this story at all. None of the digests from any side mentioned the cost of the prosecution or the length of time the case took to reach dismissal. The full reports did not quote the judge’s written ruling or specify which legal standard the prosecutors failed to meet.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 14 Aug 2026, 00:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
17 rated outlets
- The left-rated outlets reported that a Nevada judge dismissed a case against six Republicans accused of submitting a false electoral certificate in 2020. All 12 outlets carried the dismissal, and 11 of the digests led on the accusation that the certificate falsely declared Donald Trump the winner of Nevada’s electoral votes. The Associated Press report, the only full article in the sample, named the defendants: Michael McDonald, Jesse Law, and four others.
- The Associated Press report stated that the defendants argued the certificate was "political theater" with no intent to deceive, while prosecutors claimed it was meant to be mistaken for real electoral votes. The report also noted that similar cases in Michigan, Georgia, and a federal prosecution had been dismissed, and that Arizona’s case was temporarily dropped but intended for re-filing.
- None of the digests mentioned the defendants’ argument that the certificate was symbolic. Only the Associated Press report included the detail that the ceremony was broadcast online and used as evidence, or that the case involved charges of forgery and offering a false instrument for filing.
Centre
10 rated outlets
- The three centre-rated digests from Washington Top News, Battlefords NOW and the Las Vegas Review-Journal led on the judge’s finding that prosecutors did not prove the charges. The Las Vegas Review-Journal digest said the six were accused of trying to hand Nevada’s electoral votes to Trump after he lost. The Washington Top News full report carried the same details as the Associated Press, including the defendants’ intent argument and the prosecutors’ case.
Right
2 rated outlets
We have not written our reading of the right coverage of this story. The right-rated outlets that ran it are listed below.
Read it at the source
29 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
17- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging 2020 election certificate (opens PBS NewsHour in a new tab)
PBS NewsHour — is PBS NewsHour biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Another attempt to hold fake electors accountable falls apart in court (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens Oakville News in a new tab)
Oakville News — is Oakville News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens CambridgeToday.ca in a new tab)
CambridgeToday.ca — is CambridgeToday.ca biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens Bay Today in a new tab)
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens Richmond Register in a new tab)
Richmond Register — is Richmond Register biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens Sudbury in a new tab)
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens SooToday.com in a new tab)
SooToday.com — is SooToday.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 9 more
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens The Toronto Star in a new tab)
The Toronto Star — is The Toronto Star biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens Orillia Matters in a new tab)
Orillia Matters — is Orillia Matters biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens Rocky Mountain Outlook in a new tab)
Rocky Mountain Outlook — is Rocky Mountain Outlook biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens The Seattle Times in a new tab)
The Seattle Times — is The Seattle Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens Daily Record in a new tab)
Daily Record — is Daily Record biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens Associated Press News in a new tab)
Associated Press News — is Associated Press News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens WellandTribune.ca in a new tab)
WellandTribune.ca — is WellandTribune.ca biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens The Hamilton Spectator in a new tab)
The Hamilton Spectator — is The Hamilton Spectator biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens Las Vegas Sun in a new tab)
Las Vegas Sun — is Las Vegas Sun biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
10- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens The Record in a new tab)
The Record — is The Record biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens Ckpg Today in a new tab)
Ckpg Today — is Ckpg Today biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens Weatherford Democrat in a new tab)
Weatherford Democrat — is Weatherford Democrat biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens Washington Top News in a new tab)
Washington Top News — is Washington Top News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens meadowlakeNOW in a new tab)
meadowlakeNOW — is meadowlakeNOW biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens Battlefords NOW in a new tab)
Battlefords NOW — is Battlefords NOW biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Nevada ‘fake electors’ case dismissed. Las Vegas judge says prosecutors did not prove charges. (opens Las Vegas Review-Journal in a new tab)
Las Vegas Review-Journal — is Las Vegas Review-Journal biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens Cecil Daily in a new tab)
Cecil Daily — is Cecil Daily biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 2 more
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens WKMG in a new tab)
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens Winnipeg Free Press in a new tab)
Winnipeg Free Press — is Winnipeg Free Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
2- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens plaindealerin.com in a new tab)
plaindealerin.com — is plaindealerin.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election (opens Washington Times in a new tab)
Washington Times — is Washington Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Nevada judge dismisses case against six Republicans over 2020 fake…?
- Of the 29 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 59% are rated left, 34% are rated centre, 7% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Nevada judge dismisses case against six Republicans over 2020 fake… left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 29 rated outlets on this story, 59% are rated left, 34% are rated centre, 7% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Nevada judge dismisses case against six Republicans over 2020 fake… biased?
- Nevada judge dismisses case against six Republicans over 2020 fake elector certificate is one event reported by 29 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Nevada judge dismisses case against six Republicans over 2020 fake…?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Nevada judge dismisses case against six Republicans over 2020 fake…?
- 29 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Who were the six Republicans charged in Nevada?
- The six included Michael McDonald, former chair of the Nevada Republican Party, and Jesse Law, former chair of the Clark County Republican Party. The other four were not named in the reports. They were accused of submitting a false electoral certificate in 2020.
- Why was the Nevada case dismissed?
- The judge ruled prosecutors did not prove the charges. The case turned on whether the defendants intended to deceive officials into accepting the false certificate. The judge’s written ruling was not quoted in any report.
- Are there other fake electors cases still open?
- Only Wisconsin’s case is still ongoing. Similar cases in Michigan, Georgia and Arizona have been dismissed, and a federal case against Donald Trump was dropped after his 2024 election victory.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

