HUGE ELECTION INTEGRITY VICTORY! Gov. Whitmer-Appointed Judge Forces Michigan SOS Jocelyn Benson to Stop Hiding Critical Voting Data from the Public

 In yet another major victory for election integrity warriors and government transparency, the Michigan Court of Claims just slammed the brakes on the Michigan Bureau of Elections’ blatant attempt to hide how voters actually cast their ballots.

In an Opinion and Order Granting Summary Disposition to Plaintiff, Court of Claims Judge Christopher P. Yates ruled in favor of longtime election integrity advocate Phani Mantravadi, Founder of Check My Vote,  in his Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Michigan Bureau of Elections.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer Appointed- Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Christopher Yates

The fight was over the Bureau’s sudden decision in March 2024 to begin redacting the all-important “Voting Type” column from the Qualified Voter File (QVF). This column shows whether each voter cast their ballot on Election Day (ED), Early In-Person (EV), or by Absentee ballot (A).

For years, this critical information was publicly available. Then, under Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the Bureau quietly started stripping it out — claiming it was necessary to protect the “secret ballot.”

The campaign of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a former Southern Poverty Law Center board member, was funded by George Soros.

Judge Christopher Yates, whom Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer appointed to the Michigan Court of Appeals, wasn’t buying Benson’s story about why they need to hide the truth about the type of voting used by each voter in Michigan elections.

The Court ruled that the vast majority of voting-type information must be released to the public under FOIA. The judge made it crystal clear that the Bureau failed to prove any valid FOIA exemption or constitutional reason to blanket-redact this data for every voter in the entire state. He noted that limited redaction might be justified only in extremely rare cases involving very small precincts.

From the ruling:

“The Court agrees with plaintiff that the vast majority of voting-type information should be publicly available because such disclosure will not compromise the constitutional right of electors to cast a secret ballot.”

Judge Yates also rejected the Bureau’s attempt to use the FOIA privacy exemption, pointing out that voting-type information has long been considered public in Michigan and is not “information of a personal nature.”

In 2024, Judge Yates ruled against Jocelyn Benson in another case that was a huge win for election integrity in Michigan.

On October 6, 2020, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson told local clerks to ignore signature matching on ballot envelopes and presume all absentee ballot signatures were valid unless they differed in “multiple, significant and obvious respects” from the signature on file.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson – Michigan Public

In the lawsuit Republican Party of Michigan v. Benson, Judge Christopher Murray ruled on March 9, 2021, AFTER THE MOST CONTESTED ELECTION IN HISTORY, that Benson’s directive was invalid.

The ruling today, in favor of election integrity hero, Phani Mantravadi, is just one more in a long string of election cases in recent years that courts have ruled against Jocelyn Benson and her office in their aggressive efforts to make Michigan elections less transparent and more secretive at the highest levels — while simultaneously handing over Michigan voters’ confidential information to outside leftist groups and nonprofits.

Check My Vote Founder Phani Mantravadi

The Gateway Pundit has been reporting for years on the Michigan Bureau of Elections’ and Jocelyn Benson’s repeated attempts to obscure and control election data. Today, a courageous judge said enough—and we applaud his decision. 

This ruling is yet another major blow to the radical left’s efforts to keep voters in the dark.

We salute Phani Mantravadi for his relentless fight for transparency and Judge Christopher P. Yates for standing up for the rule of law and the public’s right to know.

The fight for free, fair, and transparent elections continues — but today was a very, very good day in Michigan.

Trending: BREAKING: Rudy Giuliani Hospitalized in Critical Condition – Trump Weighs In

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/05/huge-election-integrity-victory-gov-whitmer-appointed-judge/

Jonathan Turley vs. the Mob

 Jonathan Turley reveals the threat that mobocracy embodies against a healthy, stable republic

The MSM, radical left Democrats, and progressives like Hillary Clinton, spout that we are experiencing an 'existential threat to democracy.' For example, Dr. Steven Levitsky and Lucan A. Way wrote, "U.S. democracy will likely break down during the Second Trump administration in the sense that it will cease to meet standard criteria for a liberal democracy -- full adult suffrage, free and fair elections, and broad protection of civil liberties."

Hillary says, "Our democracy is in crisis..." Her claim sounds ominous, worthy of further investigation.

Demosthenes (384 BC -- 322 BC) was a Greek statesman of ancient Athens who was a staunch defender of Athenian democracy. He also saw how democracy could easily descend into mobocracy, then into anarchy.

Ever hear of 'mobocracy?' It's a term that refers to the direct democracy of ancient Athens -- a system of 'majority power.' Athens' democracy frequently encountered mob demands that caused democracy to evolve into mobocracy, then anarchy. Anarchy and mobocracy are different government concepts. While both involve a lack of formal governance, anarchy refers to the complete absence of government. Mobocracy refers to governance by the desires of the majority, which often leads to anarchy.

Dr. Jonathan Turley, attorney, legal scholar, historian, writer, and commentator, is a professor at George Washington University Law School. Turley, in Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution, wrote the following about Athens' democracy and its descent into mobocracy:

"...The descent into mob justice was accelerated by intellectuals or orators who sought to ride the passions of the public. As Demosthenes warned, "This breed of orators appeared who ply you with such questions as 'What would you like? What shall I propose? How can I oblige you? The interests of the state have been frittered away for a momentary popularity. The natural consequences follow, and the orators profit by your disgrace." As new leaders were brought to power by mobs, prior rabble-rousing orators were often tried for misleading the public. The one thing that remains consistent in mobocracies throughout history is that the mob itself was never wrong, but rather misled. ..."

That's what Democrats are doing today: appealing to the mob, trying to create a mobocracy. For example, Democrats went wild when Trump said, "It's not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things. They can do it on a state basis. You can't do it on a federal. We have to take care of one thing: military protection. We have to guard the country."

Representative Ro Khanna, D-CA, responded, "Trump says we can pay for war in Iran but can't afford childcare. Mr. President, the billions you wasted in Iran could pay for $10 day childcare for every American family with childcare workers paid $25 an hour." Senator Andy Kim, D - N.J., wrote, "For the cost of 3 weeks of this war, we could provide vision, hearing, and dental coverage to every senior on Medicare for a year. It is possible. Trump just doesn't care to do it."

Turley wrote, "...mob rule is dangerous because passion replaces reason, wild conspiracy theories are accepted as truth, blind obedience by the masses enables demagogues' quest for power, and institutions designed to tame the foibles of human nature -- such as separation of powers and the rule of law -- are shredded when they are perceived to be 'in the way' of objectives desired by the mob."

Demosthenes (and Turley) conveyed what Democrats mean when they say 'democracy.' They mean 'mobocracy,' their version of democracy. When a national debt increase is not spent as they want, Democrats are offended. Theirs is the only correct way to spend it.

Democrats are never wrong despite evidence to the contrary. When affairs don't go as they expect, the Democrats and the MSM say they weren't wrong, just misled. Democrats and the MSM were misled by what Iran has shouted since 1979, its nuclear capability, its actions such as firing missiles at Israel, selling oil to China, and supporting terrorist organizations.

As Turley wrote, "The irony is that many on the left use the threat of Trump to call for radical changes in the political system, to unleash more direct democratic change. They are seeking to remove the very elements that brought us to this day, recreating the very conditions that have led to mobocracies or democratic despotism elsewhere."

One organization to use the threat of 'Trump killing democracy' to call for changes in the political system is the Brookings Institution. Coincidentally, the Brookings Institution is run by Strobe Talbott, a close personal friend of the Clintons.

The Institute's Governance Studies program has "scholars" dedicated to strengthening democracy through research. The Institute maintains that the United States faces a significant democracy crisis in the form of Donald Trump. Brookings says it has concerns about protecting elections, defending the rule of law, and fighting corruption.

Protecting Elections

Efforts by the Trump administration to diminish voter access will hinder free and fair elections and pose a significant threat to U.S. democracy. This hypocrisy requires the institute to ignore vote-buying, open borders, and Democrats' efforts to defeat the SAVE America Act.

Defending the Rule of Law

Comatose Joe Biden stated that he'd ignore the Supreme Court ruling banning his cancellation of student loans. No one on the Left ever complained about Biden not defending the rule of law or of being a dictator.

Concerns about Trump weaponizing government weren't eliminated in the opening days of his presidency. More hypocrisy and/or ignoring facts -- Obama weaponized government. Brookings ignored (on purpose?) the weaponization actions by Obama and Biden.

Fighting Corruption

Brookings reported that Trump's ethics are problematic, alluding to his not signing ethics rules on the first day of his second term, insinuating that he has an ethics problem.

Yet the institute chose to overlook corrupt actions by incoherent Joe Biden and his family. Turley wrote, "If the president knew his family was engaged in 'influence peddling,' the president by definition is corrupt."

Hillary says her political philosophy blends domestic reforms with expanded government intervention in areas like healthcare and welfare. She has backed stronger government roles in social programs, education, and environmental regulation. This approach, she maintains, reflects a 'third way' that emphasizes more progressive priorities such as comprehensive immigration reform, stricter gun control, and aggressive climate action.

Looks like Hillary's saying 'Trump put democracy in crisis' is actually her searching for an opportunity to do away with democracy and implement 'mobocracy.' Brooking, what say y'all? But know Strobe is watching.

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/05/jonathan_turley_vs_the_mob.html