Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors members, and Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake were all summoned to appear in court by the judge presiding over Lake’s electoral complaint.
“The Court has reviewed Plaintiffs’ Verified Statement of Election Contest filed December 9, 2022. Because this matter is an election challenge, the return hearing will be set on an accelerated basis,” Judge Peter Thompson wrote in his order.
Earlier this month, Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge John Tuchi sanctioned Lake and her lawyers for filing what he claimed was a frivolous, partisan lawsuit, prompting a harsh rebuke from Lake. This new order from Judge Thomspon appears to take the matter more seriously. Thompson was appointed to the bench in September 2010 by former Gov. Jan Brewer.
The previous two elections in Maricopa County, Ariz., have been controversial for how poorly they were conducted. Last year, a forensic audit of the presidential election found thousands of discrepancies in the county. Read more…
