Charges and State Court Developments
Frost, now 78, was one of 16 Michigan Republicans charged in July 2023 with conspiracy and election forgery-related offenses. Prosecutors alleged the group attempted to pose as legitimate electors by signing and submitting a fraudulent “Certificate of The Votes of The 2020 Electors From Michigan,” falsely asserting Donald Trump had won the state.
In September, a Michigan state court dismissed the charges, with Judge Kristen D. Simmons ruling that the alleged fake electors believed they were engaged in a legitimate legal process to preserve Trump’s rights pending legal challenges.
Election Day Actions and Political Implications
The controversy stems from December 14, 2020, when the Democratic electors cast Michigan’s 16 votes for President Joe Biden, who won by approximately 150,000 votes. Frost and the other Republican nominees were reportedly barred from the state capitol by Michigan State Police. Instead, they met at the Michigan GOP headquarters in Lansing, where they signed and submitted the false certificates to Congress.
Frost’s attorneys, Edward F. Kickham III and Kevin D. Kijewski, argue that the case exemplifies overreach by the attorney general’s office and was “motivated by politics rather than law.”
Attorney General Nessel, represented by Ann Maurine Sherman, has not filed a response to the Supreme Court petition.
