Not only will a lawsuit against the state of Georgia regarding its election security measures go forward, but a judge said in her ruling that the “evidence does not suggest that the Plaintiffs are conspiracy theorists of any variety.”
The only way to make that any better would be if this judge were appointed by, say, former President Barack Obama. And lo and behold, she was!
In a 135-page ruling issued Nov. 10, U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg of the Northern District of Georgia allowed a lawsuit from the Coalition for Good Governance to go forward, noting in her decision that the issue might be better decided outside of courtrooms.
Totenberg wrote that “reasonable, timely discussion and compromise in this case, coupled with prompt, informed legislative action, might certainly make a difference that benefits the parties and the public.”
But as for outright dismissal? No, not in the courts.
“The Court cannot wave a magic wand in this case to address the varied challenges to our democracy and election system in recent years, including those presented in this case,” the judge said.
As for her liberal bona fides, keep in mind that Totenberg was appointed by Obama in 2010.
The civil case, which predates the 2020 presidential election, seeks to have Georgia go back to paper-and-pen ballots rather than using the touchscreen systems manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems.
“We don’t negotiate with election deniers,” Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs said of the lawsuit, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “If they have an idea that wouldn’t take Georgia back to the days of hanging chads and stuffed ballot boxes, they should offer it.”
However, in her ruling, the judge said the plaintiffs’ questioning of “the cybersecurity and reliability issues surrounding the use of the relevant electronic voting systems and the auditing of such systems and voting results” wasn’t just the territory of kooks.
“The Court notes that the record evidence does not suggest that the Plaintiffs are conspiracy theorists of any variety,” a footnote to Totenberg’s ruling read.
“Indeed, some of the nation’s leading cybersecurity experts and computer scientists have provided testimony and affidavits on behalf of Plaintiffs’ case in the long course of this litigation,” it said.
Conservative activists celebrated the ruling on social media.
Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow and a controversial figure in election security circles, hailed the move.
“Historical ruling by Judge! Anyone questioning elections or election machines are not conspiracy theorist!” he wrote Thursday.
Historical ruling by Judge! Anyone questioning elections or election machines are not conspiracy theorist!https://t.co/Q58TGWgEwW
— Mike Lindell (@realMikeLindell) November 16, 2023
Human Events senior editor Jack Posobiec also celebrated the court victory on Truth Social:
Victory before the case is tried is hardly the same as victory inside a courtroom, so outright celebration would be somewhat akin to spiking the ball after a 6-yard run from your own 20. I mean, that’s not bad yardage, but you’ve still got a ways to go.
Measures that deliver real voter security will be something that takes time and can’t just be done overnight.
However, it’s also worth noting that this represents an important first step.
You have to crawl before you can walk, and a successful crawl isn’t something to scoff at. Plus, that judge’s footnote about conspiracy theories was the very definition of a chef’s kiss.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
