Wisconsin judge binds over Troupis, Roman in fake electors case; Chesebro hearing delayed
A Wisconsin judge found sufficient evidence to bind James Troupis and Mike Roman over for trial on 11 forgery-related charges in the 2020 “fake electors” case, while the preliminary hearing for Kenneth Chesebro was delayed over disputes about the admissibility of his prior statements. Judge John Hyland refused requests to recuse himself or move the case and said he and a staff attorney authored an August order denying dismissal; prosecutors allege the defendants misled Republican electors about how alternate certificates would be used, while defense lawyers say the certificates were intended to preserve legal options.
📌 Key Facts
- Wisconsin Judge John Hyland refused to recuse himself, denied a request to move the case to another county, and declined to delay the preliminary hearing.
- Hyland said he and a staff attorney authored his August order denying dismissal, rejecting defendants’ claims that a retired judge (the clerk’s father) wrote it; Sen. Ron Johnson asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the defendants’ allegations about the order’s authorship.
- All three defendants — Kenneth Chesebro, James (Jim) Troupis and Mike Roman — are charged with 11 felony forgery counts each and appeared in court; Hyland found sufficient evidence to bind over Troupis and Roman to trial on those forgery-related charges.
- Kenneth Chesebro’s preliminary hearing was delayed by the judge amid questions about the admissibility of his prior statements.
- Prosecutors allege the advisers misled Wisconsin’s 10 Republican electors about how the alternate-elector certificates would be used; a majority of those electors told investigators they would not have consented to submission absent a court ruling.
- Defense lawyers say the alternate certificates were meant to preserve legal options; prosecutors say the certificates were not genuine because they were not signed by the official electors.
- Reporting places the Wisconsin case in a broader post-2020 litigation landscape: similar state cases in Michigan and Georgia have faltered, a Nevada case continues, and a separate federal case was previously dropped by a special prosecutor.
📊 Relevant Data
In the 2020 Wisconsin presidential election, Joe Biden won by a margin of approximately 20,000 votes out of over 3.2 million cast, representing a 0.63% difference.
2020 United States presidential election in Wisconsin — Wikipedia
In the 1960 Hawaii presidential election, alternate slates of electors were submitted by Republicans while a recount was ongoing, and the Democratic slate for John F. Kennedy was ultimately certified after he won the recount.
See the 1960 Electoral College certificates that the false Trump electors used as a rationale — Politico
In Wisconsin's 2020 electorate, Black voters comprised about 5% (compared to 6.2% of the state's population per the 2020 Census), supported Biden at a 90% rate, and their turnout increased by 1 percentage point from 2016.
What Happened in Wisconsin — Catalist
White voters in Wisconsin, comprising approximately 92-93% of the 2020 electorate (78.6% of the population per the 2020 Census), showed an education divide with 40% of non-college White voters supporting Biden compared to 61% of college-educated White voters.
What Happened in Wisconsin — Catalist
A 2021 audit by the nonpartisan Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau found that the 2020 election was conducted safely and securely, with no evidence of widespread fraud, though it recommended administrative improvements.
Auditors find 2020 election was secure while recommending new rules on drop boxes, absentee ballots — Wisconsin Examiner
📰 Sources (3)
- A Wisconsin judge found sufficient evidence to send James Troupis and Mike Roman to trial on 11 forgery-related charges.
- Kenneth Chesebro’s preliminary hearing was delayed over questions about the admissibility of his prior statements.
- Defense argued the alternate elector certificates were meant to preserve legal options, while prosecutors said they were not genuine because they were not signed by official electors.
- Judge John Hyland refused to recuse himself, denied moving the case to another county, and declined to delay the preliminary hearing.
- Sen. Ron Johnson asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate defendants’ allegations about authorship of the judge’s prior August order.
- All three defendants — Kenneth Chesebro, Jim Troupis, and Mike Roman — appeared for a preliminary hearing; each faces 11 felony forgery counts.
- Hyland stated he and a staff attorney authored the August order denying dismissal, rejecting claims that a retired judge (the clerk’s father) wrote it.
- Prosecutors allege the trio misled Wisconsin’s 10 Republican electors about how their certificate would be used; a majority of those electors told investigators they did not consent to submission absent a court ruling.
- Article context notes other state cases (Michigan/Georgia) have faltered, a Nevada case continues, and a federal case was previously dropped by a special prosecutor.