Trump-appointed judge threatens Mike Lindell with 'further contempt sanctions

Source: Law & Crime

Jan 6th, 2026, 11:25 am


A federal judge for the second time in the last three months has questions about why 2020 election conspiracy theorist and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has failed to comply with a court order, raising the specter of "further contempt sanctions."

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols is a Donald Trump appointee who has presided over Dominion Voting Systems-related defamation lawsuits since the aftermath of the 2020 election.

One year ago, Nichols ordered Lindell to pay more than $50,000 to Smartmatic, a now-indicted voting machine company whose technology was used only in Los Angeles County in 2020. Smartmatic became involved in the Dominion case as a third-party defendant because Lindell countersued, claiming RICO violations. Some "frivolous" claims in the Lindell countersuit led Nichols to order up $56,369 in sanctions.

In March, Smartmatic moved to hold Lindell in civil contempt, complaining that he "still has not paid, nor […] meaningfully engaged in any discussions or negotiations regarding the terms of payment."

Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/trump-appointed-judge-threatens-mike-lindell-with-further-contempt-sanctions-orders-mypillow-ceo-to-explain-why-he-has-still-not-complied/