206 F.3d 680, 684 (6th Cir. 2000); Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma v. Logan, 577 F.3d 634, 639 n.6 (6th Cir. 2009) (“Laches arises from an extended failure to exercise a right to the detriment of another party.”). Courts apply laches in election cases. Detroit Unity Fund v. Whitmer, 819 F. App’x 421, 422 (6th Cir. 2020) (holding that the district court did not err in finding plaintiff’s claims regarding deadline for local ballot initiatives “barred by laches, considering the unreasonable delay on the part of [p]laintiffs and the consequent prejudice to [d]efendants”). Cf. Benisek v. Lamone, 138 S. Ct. 1942, 1944 (2018) (“[A] party requesting a preliminary injunction must generally show reasonable diligence. That is as true in election law cases as elsewhere.”).
First, Plaintiffs showed no diligence in asserting the claims at bar. They filed the instant action on November 25—more than 21 days after the 2020 General Election—and served it on Defendants some five days later on December 1. (ECF Nos. 1, 21.) If Plaintiffs had legitimate claims regarding whether the treatment of election challengers complied with state law, they could have brought their claims well in advance of or on Election Day—but they did not. Michigan’s 83 Boards of County Canvassers finished canvassing by no later than November 17 and, on November 23, both the Michigan Board of State Canvassers and Governor Whitmer certified the election results. Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 168.822, 168.842.0. If Plaintiffs had legitimate claims regarding the manner by which
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