Court orders True the Vote leaders released from jail, over contempt of court charge

A federal appeals court in Louisiana has ordered the release of two leaders the election watchdog group True the Vote after they were detained for contempt of court late last month.

A panel of three GOP-appointed judges for the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals late Sunday ordered group President Catherine Engelbrecht and one-time board member Gregg Phillips to be released, show court documents obtained Monday by Just the News.

A spokesperson for True the Vote told The Epoch Times Engelbrecht and Phillips are expected to be released Monday, "when the paperwork is complete."

The two leaders were sent to jail Oct. 31 in Texas for not complying with a court order to turn over evidence relating to their legal battle against Michigan-based poll watcher software firm Konnech.

They refused to name an unidentified individual whom they say was present at a 2021 meeting during which they purportedly received evidence to substantiate their claims against Konnech and face a defamation claim over their assertions.

True the Vote alleges Konnech improperly stored the personal data of U.S. poll workers and that Konnech CEO Eugene Yu was an agent of the Chinese Communist Party.

Phillips initially posted Monday on his Truth Social account that Judge Kenneth Hoyt, who originally sent the two activists to jail, had yet to comply with the court's order.

"This cannot be legal," Phillips' account said. He has since deleted the post.