Judge bars Kristina Karamo from calling herself Michigan Republican Party chair
GRAND RAPIDS — A Kent County judge on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction against Kristina Karamo, barring her from identifying herself as chair of the Michigan Republican Party or from accessing any party bank accounts or postal boxes.
The ruling by Judge Joseph Rossi is a huge victory for anti-Karamo forces in the Michigan GOP and for Pete Hoekstra, the former ambassador and congressman who was elected to replace Karamo Jan. 20 after a breakoff section of the party's state committee voted to remove her at a meeting Jan. 6.
Having two different people claiming to be MIGOP chair "created an environment filled with something the law hates — uncertainty and confusion," the judge said.
Karamo, who was in the courtroom in Grand Rapids for the late afternoon ruling, described it as "egregious," but said she will abide by it, pending a possible appeal and a trial in the case that is still scheduled for June.
"I have to comply with the judge's order," Karamo said. "I'm not going to jail."
The ruling may provide clarity to district chairs and potential candidates to March 2 party conventions where the majority of the party's delegates to the Republican National Convention will be elected. Hoekstra has scheduled a March 2 selection in Grand Rapids. Karamo had scheduled one in Detroit on the same date.
Rossi made his ruling retroactive to Jan. 6 and said any actions Karamo has taken since then as state party chair are "void and have no effect."
Hoekstra was earlier endorsed in the dispute by both the Republican National Committee and former President Donald Trump.
“The MIGOP State Committee, the RNC, President Trump and now a court of law have all reviewed the Jan. 6 meeting and there is unanimous agreement that the former chair was properly removed, and I was elected as the new chairman of the Michigan Republican Party," Hoekstra said in a news release after the ruling. "It is time to unite and move forward with the business (of) delivering the state of Michigan for our party’s presumptive nominee, Donald J. Trump.”
But Karamo said outside court that while she would not call herself state party chair, she wasn't prepared to call Hoekstra the chair, either. She said it was too early to say whether she would try to appeal the ruling.
Unhappiness with Karamo, who was elected at a state party convention just over a year ago, stemmed in part from lackluster fundraising. She was also accused of autocratic rule that lacked transparency and interference with the business of county parties.
Karamo depicted the conflict as one in which the "old guard" or party establishment was fighting her efforts to make meaningful reform and place control in the grassroots.
Rossi made his ruling after Tuesday testimony in which officials supporting Karamo as chair of the party detailed their reasons why they consider her removal by a breakaway faction of the state committee to be unlawful.
Rossi heard from Michigan Republican Party Secretary Angela Gillisse, Treasurer Jennifer Standerfer and William Hartman, the party's general counsel under Karamo. They identified multiple issues with the way a Jan. 6 meeting to remove Karamo was convened and conducted.
But Rossi said none of the flaws invalidated the actions taken against Karamo, which he said included "sharp-elbow tactics." He said he expects the anti-Karamo forces will prevail if the case gets to trial and noted that an expert on parliamentary procedure had testified that the removal was proper.
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on X, @paulegan4.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Judge bars Karamo from calling herself Michigan Republican Party chair
