A legal battle is brewing in Wisconsin as Jim Troupis, former attorney for President Donald Trump in the state, alleges judicial misconduct in his felony forgery case linked to the 2020 election. Troupis and two other former Trump associates, all facing charges related to their alleged roles in the 2020 fake elector scheme, have requested a postponement of their preliminary hearing, currently scheduled for December 15th. They are also seeking an evidentiary hearing, to be presided over by a judge from a different county, to investigate the allegations of wrongdoing.
The specifics of the alleged misconduct remain under seal by the court, leaving the public in the dark about the exact nature of the accusations.
Troupis, who served as Trump’s attorney in Wisconsin during the 2020 election, filed the motion just a week before he and his co-defendants were slated to appear for the preliminary hearing in Dane County Circuit Court.
The other two defendants joining Troupis in the motion are:
-
Kenneth Chesebro: An attorney who advised the Trump campaign.
-
Mike Roman: Trump’s director of Election Day operations in 2020.
All three men face 11 felony charges, accused of forgery in an attempt to defraud the ten Republican electors who cast their ballots for Trump in 2020. The alleged scheme involved submitting false paperwork claiming that Trump had won the battleground state, despite his loss.
While Trump lost Wisconsin in 2020, he had previously won the state in both 2016 and 2024. Each of the 11 felony charges carries a potential penalty of six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The case has experienced delays as the defendants initially sought to have the charges dismissed. Dane County Circuit Judge John Hyland rejected that motion in August, a decision that Troupis now claims was “the byproduct of misconduct.”
Joe Bugni, Troupis’ attorney, declined to provide further details regarding the alleged misconduct when questioned. Judge Hyland did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice, which is prosecuting the case, has not yet issued a statement. However, according to Troupis’ filing, the Justice Department opposes postponing the preliminary hearing.
Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul, currently seeking a third term, brought the charges last year.
In addition to overturning the dismissal order, Troupis and his co-defendants have requested:
-
Cancellation of the preliminary hearing.
-
Recusal of all Dane County judges.
-
Relocation of the entire case to another county.
The state charges against the Trump attorneys and aide are the only ones currently filed in Wisconsin. None of the electors have been charged. The ten Wisconsin electors, along with Chesebro and Troupis, previously settled a lawsuit brought against them in 2023.
Federal prosecutors investigating Trump’s actions related to the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot have indicated that the fake elector scheme originated in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin complaint alleges that Troupis, Chesebro, and Roman created a document falsely declaring Trump the winner of Wisconsin’s 10 Electoral College votes and attempted to deliver the document to then-Vice President Mike Pence.
The Trump associates maintain their innocence, arguing that no crime occurred. However, the judge rejected these arguments in August, allowing the case to proceed.
Similar cases have seen varying outcomes in other states. A judge dismissed a similar case in Michigan in September. Additionally, a special prosecutor dropped a federal case alleging Trump conspired to overturn the 2020 election. Cases related to alleged fake elector schemes are still active in Nevada and Georgia, but are not yet at the trial stage.
