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A filing by Patrick Byrne’s attorney, Peter Ticktin, reportedly warned U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols that continuing a protective order could expose the judge to criminal liability. That is Byrne’s side’s legal argument—not a finding that Nichols committed a crime, and not proof that Byrne has a legally established status as a federal whistleblower.
What the reported filing said
According to the report, Ticktin described Byrne as a “federal whistleblower” and argued that the protective order interfered with reporting evidence of alleged crimes and investigations. Ticktin was quoted as writing: “The last thing I want to see is a misguided judge go over a line from judgment to criminal activity.”
The filing reportedly invoked obstruction of justice under 18 U.S.C. § 1512 and misprision of a felony under 18 U.S.C. § 4. It asserted that orders interfering with criminal investigations could constitute those crimes. Those are allegations and legal claims made by Byrne’s side; the report does not establish that either statute applies to Nichols or that a court found any criminal conduct.
What Nichols reportedly did
The report says Nichols refused to dissolve the protective order and described Byrne’s motion as “frivolous and an abuse of the court system.” The primary order was not available to verify the exact wording, so that characterization is attributed to the report rather than presented as independently confirmed text from the ruling.
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How the dispute fits the case
The underlying litigation began as Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation case against Byrne and is now captioned with Liberty Vote following a sale, according to the report. The protective order concerns discovery materials. The report also describes a discovery breach involving access to Dominion materials by a non-party and says a magistrate judge disqualified Byrne’s attorney Stefanie Lambert over misconduct. These procedural details come from secondary reporting; the underlying docket and filings were not verified here.
What happened next
After Nichols denied the motion to dissolve the order, Liberty Vote’s attorneys reportedly asked the court to put their motion for default judgment back on the calendar, including setting a reply date and a hearing. The available report does not establish how the court resolved that request or the broader dispute.
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What is established—and what is not
- Reported: Ticktin’s filing warned Nichols about possible criminal liability and argued that the protective order impeded disclosures.
- Reported: Nichols had declined to dissolve the order, and Liberty Vote’s attorneys sought to reactivate their default-judgment motion.
- Not established by the available account: that Byrne’s whistleblower status was legally validated, that Nichols committed a crime, or that a court accepted the filing’s interpretation of the statutes.
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