During Monday's hearing, Clark County Judge Mary Kay Holthus was skeptical of the prosecution's arguments for the "offering a false instrument" charge because it requires an "intent to defraud."

The decision means criminal proceedings will continue in Clark County, where a jury would likely be more Democratic than other jurisdictions. The state has also pursued forgery charges in Carson City, but that case will likely be withdrawn.

The "full, complete and unconditional pardon" only relates to federal crimes, and none of those pardoned has faced federal charges related to the 2020 election. Nevada's six fake electors are still facing state-level charges.

The decision from Justice of the Peace Derek Dreiling means the six defendants will be arraigned in district court, which is set for Oct. 27.

The yearslong saga over Nevada Republicans' attempts to overturn the state's 2020 election results for Donald Trump continued on Wednesday, with the state's highest court hearing arguments in a case about whether a lower court's dismissal of forgery charges should be overturned.

Trump lost the Silver State in 2020, but his allies hatched a plan to try to overturn the election results in part by identifying themselves as their states' true electors. Foyr years later, the fake electors have not faced any significant repercussions.

The charges relate to accusations that the GOP fake electors knowingly forged documents purporting to be the state's true 2020 electors. The Nevada attorney general's initial prosecution was dismissed in Clark County this year over concerns about the jurisdiction. 

The case against the six Nevada Republicans who submitted an invalid slate of electoral votes for former President Donald Trump in 2020 is moving up to the Nevada Supreme Court, after Attorney General Aaron Ford on Friday appealed a Clark County judge's dismissal of the charges brought by his office.

The judge allowed the "fake electors" to file an additional legal reply that includes evidence they say was wrongly withheld by the state and could exonerate the six individuals facing felony charges.

Attorneys representing several of the Nevada Republican fake electors are accusing the state of withholding crucial evidence from the grand jury that indicted them over their role in falsely pledging the state's six electoral votes to Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

The trial for the six Nevada Republicans facing forgery charges over their plans to subvert the results of the 2020 election is now set for next January. The trial was originally set for next week.

State prosecutors this week dismissed the defendants' arguments that their actions could not be considered criminally fraudulent because state and federal officials were not deceived by them.

Nevada's six "fake electors" are asking a district court judge to toss out felony forgery charges brought against them by state prosecutors earlier this year over their efforts to subvert the 2020 election.

For years, Nevada Democrats have dominated in fundraising and state legislative races. But the first-term Republican governor is looking to turn the tide.

The surprise move comes as a blow for House Republicans, who have long targeted Lee's seat as one of the top pickup opportunities of Nevada's three competitive congressional districts. 

Media commentary about the pending criminal trials concerning the election has primarily been from former or present prosecutors. They do not generally focus on the costs involved in mounting a defense.

Richard Wright, who represented the six defendants in Clark County District Court at their arraignment Monday, told The Nevada Independent in a Wednesday interview that he plans to request dismissal of the case on venue grounds, saying Ford's choice of Clark County is a "politically expedient" move, because the county — and its pool of potential jurors — lean more Democratic than the other potential trial sites. 

Before the Clark County grand jury ultimately decided to indict the six Nevada Republicans who cast false electoral votes for then-President Donald Trump in 2020, they heard witness testimony from a top Nevada elections official, a Postal Service inspector and one of campaign lawyers about how the fake elector scheme unfolded.

Despite the criminal charges, McDonald has continued to closely embrace Trump. He appeared at a Trump campaign rally in Reno on Sunday, telling the crowd to "cast your ballot for Donald J. Trump."

Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford on Tuesday defended his decision to charge six Nevada Republicans with fraud-related felonies last week over the 2020 fake elector scheme, in part by announcing publicly that the investigation has been running "for years."