Mike Lindell Cheers Judge's 'Historic' Ruling as Vindication

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is celebrating last week's ruling on Georgia's voting machines as vindication, countering critics who say he is a conspiracy theorist for promoting claims about election fraud.

"Historical ruling by Judge!" Lindell wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday. "Anyone questioning elections or election machines are not conspiracy theorist!"

Newsweek reached out to Lindell via email for comment.

U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg issued a 135-page ruling last Friday in the long-running lawsuit seeking to rid Georgia of its electronic voting machines in favor of hand-marked paper ballots. The lawsuit, filed by individual voters and election security advocacy group the Coalition for Good Governance, argues that the machine's cybersecurity flaws violate the constitutional rights of voters to cast their votes and have those votes accurately counted.

In a footnote of the ruling, Totenberg said that the evidence in the case "does not suggest that the Plaintiffs are conspiracy theorists of any variety."

"Indeed, some of the nation's leading cybersecurity experts and computer scientists have provided testimony and affidavits on behalf of Plaintiffs' case in the long course of this litigation," she wrote.

Asked about Lindell's response to her order, Totenberg declined Newsweek's request for comment.

Georgia's electronic voting system, which was purchased from Dominion Voting Systems in 2019 and implemented statewide in 2020, has been the subject of various conspiracy theories, including some that claim the machines helped President Joe Biden steal the presidential election from former President Donald Trump. Lindell is among one of the most vocal proponents of those claims.

The MyPillow CEO is facing a number of defamation lawsuits from Dominion and Smartmatic for his comments claiming that their machines led to voter fraud. Dominion sued Lindell and his company in 2021 for $1.3 billion. Lindell has refused to settle even though the challenges have financially drained him and forced his attorneys to quit because of millions in unpaid legal fees.

Lindell is currently raising money for the "Lindell Offense Fund" to help pay his legal bills.

In her order, Totenberg, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, denied the state's request to rule without a trial just based on the arguments and facts of the case. The judge found there to be "material facts in dispute" that must be decided in at a bench trial, which she set to begin January 9, 2024.

"The Court cannot wave a magic wand in this case to address the varied challenges to our democracy and election system in recent years, including those presented in this case," she wrote. "But reasonable, timely discussion and compromise in this case, coupled with prompt, informed legislative action, might certainly make a difference that benefits the parties and the public."