LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In a move that many might call audacious, Republican Matt DePerno, who previously failed in his bids for Michigan’s Attorney General and Chair of the state’s Republican Party despite former President Donald Trump’s endorsement, is now launching a campaign for a seat on the Michigan Supreme Court.

DePerno’s legal challenges.

In his quest to join the Michigan bench, DePerno, an attorney from Kalamazoo and a staunch Trump supporter, remains undeterred by his felony charges related to alleged meddling with election equipment post-2020, despite being a current defendant in a voting machine tampering case.

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According to documents released in 2022 by Democratic Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office, five vote tabulators were illegally taken from three Michigan counties and brought to a hotel room. Investigators discovered that the tabulators had been broken into and subjected to “tests.” DePerno was identified as a “prime instigator” in the case.

DePerno faces four criminal charges, including unauthorized possession of a voting machine and intentional damage to a voting machine. He has denied any wrongdoing. His case is currently awaiting trial in the 44th District Court in Oakland County.

Campaign and rhetoric.

DePerno’s campaign, characterized by his fervent denial of the 2020 election results and what some call “Trumpian rhetoric”, portrays the candidate as a crusader against oppositional forces.

In a statement on the social media platform X, DePerno said, “After watching the abuse of our legal system both here in Michigan, as well as across the country, it is clear that the Michigan Supreme Court needs members that are committed to following the constitution and rule of law. Activist judges, prosecutors, and attorney generals are using their power to prosecute their political enemies. This has to stop. And that is why I am running for Supreme Court.”

Opposition and criticism.

DePerno’s candidacy, however, could face considerable opposition from both sides of the aisle. Democrats, led by AG Nessel, who previously defeated DePerno in the AG race, have said that they view him as a threat to the state’s judicial integrity.

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes minced no words recently about DePerno’s run to be a judge, saying, “his disdain for democracy and reproductive freedom make him a direct threat to our legal system.” She went on to say, “Matt DePerno is unfit to serve on the highest court in the state,” Barnes said. “The stakes have never been higher for these supreme court races – if Trump’s MAGA loyalists are elected, they will do everything in their power to drag our state backward.”

Social media reaction.

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Social media users also wasted no time lambasting and ridiculing DePerno including a Democrat named Joe F. Spaulding who said to DePerno, “As a Democrat, I want to personally thank you for attaching your toxic and radioactive brand even further to the state GOP. I hope you are successful in courting other election criminals to do the same!” DePerno responded to him saying, “copied to file for safe keeping.”

Stakes and future implications.

With two seats up for grabs on the Michigan Supreme Court this November, including the one DePerno eyes covetously, the stakes are high. Democrats currently hold a fragile 4-3 majority, and DePerno’s bid represents a potential shift towards a more conservative bench – something that could reverberate through Michigan’s legal landscape for years to come.

The road to nomination.

As DePerno gears up to battle for the Republican nomination in August, he is facing off against a field of contenders that includes judges and seasoned lawyers, his campaign will undoubtedly be scrutinized through the lens of both his legal troubles and his controversial political stances.

DePerno is vying for a partial term of four years for the seat currently held by Gov. Whitmer appointee Justice Kyra Harris Bolden. DePerno faces competition from attorney Alexandria Taylor and Branch Co. Judge Patrick O’Grady for the Republican Party’s nomination at the August convention where party delegates will decide who is the nominated candidate, many of whom might have already rejected DePerno when he ran to be the Chair of the Michigan GOP.

Whether the delegates – or Michigan voters – would elect a man charged with election tampering to oversee the state’s judicial system remains to be seen – a choice that could either validate or repudiate DePerno’s defiant stance against the very legal institutions now weighing heavily upon him.