A Michigan judge ruled against the state’s Republican leader on Tuesday, issuing a temporary injunction that bans the GOP chairwoman from conducting party business.
The ruling from Kent County Circuit Judge Joseph Rossi is considered a victory for former Rep. Pete Hoekstra, who was elected to replace Chairwoman Kristina Karamo. Rossi dated the order back to a Jan. 6 meeting of the state party, during which Karamo was ousted.
“The MIGOP State Committee, the RNC, [Former] President [Donald] Trump and now a court of law have all reviewed the January 6th meeting and there is unanimous agreement that the former Chair was properly removed, and I was elected as the new Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party,” Hoekstra said in a statement to NBC News. “It is time to unite and move forward with the business delivering the state of Michigan for our Party’s presumptive nominee, Donald Trump.”
Karamo had attempted to remain as chairwoman amid criticism that poor fundraising and financial decisions led to problems for the party.
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Rossi’s ruling bans Karamo from calling herself the chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, calling for a meeting of the state party, and conducting any business in the party’s name. It also bars her from accessing the state party’s bank accounts and engaging in any communication on behalf of the party. Karamo still has access to the banks and social media accounts.
The ruling came hours before polls closed in the Michigan Republican and Democratic presidential primaries, which Trump and Biden won, respectively.
