Proceedings usually end when a civil case proceeds in court, and the parties move on. But after the 2020 election cycle, many Republican conspiracy theorists lost dozens of lawsuits. And after all, a court defeat wasn’t the end of their troubles.

At the heart of the matter is the simple fact that Republican litigants filed lawsuits that never should have been filed. As a result, courts have imposed an astonishing array of sanctions against a sizeable group of Republican plaintiffs.Arizona Republic report Late last week we discussed one of the most notable examples.

Lawyers for unsuccessful Arizona candidates Kari Lake and Mark Finchem have been forced to pay $122,200 in baseless lawsuits seeking to ban voting machines before the November election. A federal judge ruled. The ruling imposes a $1 amount on sanctions ordered last year by Arizona U.S. District Judge John Tucci, with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors paying legal costs.

The Republic article added that while unsuccessful Republican candidates do not have to pay the fine personally, their lawyers are being held liable for filing the lawsuit in bad faith.

They have many companions. Looking back at our earlier coverage, for example, Michigan Republican Speaker Christina Caramo was recently sanctioned for filing baseless anti-election lawsuits. Sidney Powell was also sanctioned as a result of his activities to reverse Donald Trump’s defeat in 2020. The former president himself has also been sanctioned for filing frivolous lawsuits.

But what helps Arizona’s story stand out is the fact that the players involved face court-imposed punishment. more than once.

As regular readers may remember, months before Election Day 2020, Lake and Finchem and their attorneys wanted to block the use of electronic election devices in Maricopa and Pima counties. , filed a federal lawsuit. The case was so absurd that a federal judge marveled at the “frivolous allegations” on the Republican side.

As a result, lawyers for the failed Republican candidates are in trouble again. From the Arizona Republic article:

The ruling came two months after other sanctions rulings on election challenges that judges found unjustifiable. In a frivolous lawsuit challenging the Nov. 8 election results, Mr. Finchem was ordered to pay $40,300 and his lawyers an additional $7,400. Olsen and another Lake attorney, Brian Brem, were fined $2,000 by the Arizona Supreme Court for a “clearly false” allegation that added 35,000 votes to last year’s election votes. was ordered.

I continue to believe these are positive developments. Courts should exercise great caution before discouraging worthy cases, but there is also value in punishing those who obstruct courts with cases that should not have been filed.

Courts should not be abused by those who pursue frivolous litigation in pursuit of partisan renditions. Justice is not a toy. There is a reasonable expectation that all litigation, even if ultimately unsuccessful, will have at least some merit.

If the Partisans file misguided lawsuits for points, you can reasonably expect them to pay the price.

This post updates our latest information Related previous reports.