A Michigan judge has dismissed all charges against 15 Republicans accused of falsely certifying Donald Trump as the winner of the 2020 election, marking one of the most significant setbacks to date in state-level prosecutions of the so-called “fake electors” plan.

District Court Judge Kristen D. Simmons ruled on Tuesday that the defendants would not stand trial, finding no evidence they intended to commit fraud. “Whether they were right, wrong, or indifferent, they seriously believed there were problems with the election,” Simmons said. “This is not an election interference case.”

The defendants, who included former Michigan Republican Party Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock, had each faced eight felony counts of forgery and conspiracy to commit election forgery. The charges stemmed from a December 2020 meeting at state GOP headquarters, where the group signed certificates claiming they were Michigan’s “duly elected and qualified electors.” Each felony carried potential penalties of up to 14 years in prison.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who brought the charges in 2022, called the decision “disappointing” and said the group knowingly acted outside proper election procedures. “They knew they were not electors,” Nessel said. President Joe Biden won Michigan by nearly 155,000 votes, a result later confirmed by a Republican-led state Senate investigation.

The ruling triggered emotional reactions at the courthouse, where defendants and supporters hugged and wept. Maddock’s husband, Republican state Rep. Matt Maddock, vowed political “retribution” against Nessel’s office. Defense attorneys described the case as a waste of resources and argued it should never have been filed.

Michigan’s case is one of several brought in states where groups of Republicans attempted to submit alternate electoral votes for Trump. Prosecutions in Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Georgia remain tied up in procedural delays or appeals. In Wisconsin, a judge recently allowed felony charges against three Trump allies to proceed. In Arizona, prosecutors were ordered to re-present their case to a grand jury. Nevada revived its case last year, while Georgia’s prosecution has stalled while Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis appeals her removal from a broader election interference case.