UPDATE: Judge Timothy Batten has reversed his decision to allow voting machines in Georgia to be wiped of information, issuing a 10-day temporary restraining order against the destruction of evidence.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: District Court Judge Timothy Batten on Sunday ordered Union County, Georgia‘s voting machines to be impounded “to prevent any wiping of data” and then abruptly nullified the order.
“Defendants are ordered to maintain the statue quo & are temporarily enjoined from wiping or resetting any voting machines in the State of Georgia until further order of the Court,” Batten wrote.
Attorney Lin Wood tweeted about the first order that Batten issued in Pearson v. Kemp, the lawsuit, filed by attorney Sidney Powell, that alleges massive election fraud in Georgia.
Batten responded to the plaintiffs’ claim for emergency relief.
“Plaintiffs contend that Union County officials have advised that they are going to wipe or reset the voting machines of all data and bring the count back to zero on Monday, November 30,” he wrote. “To the extent Plaintiffs seek a temporary restraining order to preserve the voting machines in the State of Georgia, and to prevent any wiping of data, their motion is granted.”
Newly pardoned General Michael Flynn celebrated the injunction on Twitter.
#TeamKraken wins a major injunction. Judge Batten issues an order to freeze all dominion machines in GA.
The devil may have gone down to GA, but it is light that shines bright today.@SidneyPowell1 @abigailcfrye @LLinWood @marklevinshow @realDonaldTrump @tracybeanz https://t.co/HzHUdsfefk
— General Flynn (@GenFlynn) November 29, 2020
A few hours later, Batten “denied” the request, without significant explanation, in a second order.
“However, Plaintiff’s request fails because the voting equipment that they seek to impound is in the possession of county election officials,” he wrote.
“Any injunction the Court issues would extend only to Defendants and those within their control, and Plaintiffs have not demonstrated that county election officials are within Defendants’ control,” he wrote. “Defendants cannot serve as a proxy for local election officials against whom the relief should be sought.”
Flynn and Wood expressed their frustration on Twitter.
What gives? #WeThePeople Only want an honest, open, free, fair & legal review of what we know to be a hugely problematic election nationwide & most certainly in GA.#GodBlessAmerica ??@SidneyPowell1@abigailcfrye @realDonaldTrump @marklevinshow @RealRLimbaugh @LLinWood https://t.co/TWkzZRxyMM
— General Flynn (@GenFlynn) November 30, 2020