Kari Lake Can Argue Her Claims Of Election Malfeasance In Court, Judge Says

Topline

A judge granted former Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake a hearing on her allegations of malfeasance in the election process that she claims contributed to her defeat in the November election–part of a string of losses of Trump-backed candidates that were seen as a rebuke on election denialism.

Key Facts

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson ruled Tuesday that Lake and her attorneys can participate in a two-day hearing starting Wednesday, where they’ll be given an opportunity to detail their allegations that elections officials intentionally delayed the vote count and miscounted mail-in ballots.

The ruling follows Thompson’s decision to dismiss eight of Lake’s 10 claims made in her lawsuit, which asks the judge to declare her the rightful winner or hold a new election.

Among the claims Thompson dismissed was Lake’s allegation that her Democratic opponent, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, attempted to censor social media content by flagging posts that included election misinformation.

Thompson allowed two of her claims to stand: that officials did not follow the proper chain of custody requirements for hundreds of thousands of ballots in Maricopa County and that officials intentionally caused ballot printers to malfunction in order to skew the election results.

Key Background

Lake lost her election bid to Hobbs by less than a one-point margin and has refused to concede the race. Lake, along with former President Donald Trump (whose false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election she helped promote) and his one-time ally Steve Bannon, contested the results, pointing to ballot printer malfunctions that delayed vote tabulation in some counties. One county, Cochise, delayed certification of the election results, in an act of solidarity with Lake and other right-wing activists’ claims of malfeasance in Maricopa County. Hobbs sued the county to force them to certify the votes, which it did on December 1. Lake’s lawsuit could not be filed until the state certified the results.

Crucial Quote

“Christmas came early yesterday! We are going to trial!” Lake tweeted, following Thompson’s ruling.

Contra

An attorney for Hobbs, during a hearing on Monday, said Lake’s claims were indicative of the “rotten” pattern of election denialism that has cropped up in recent years, equating the challenges to an “assault” on “our democracy and its basic guiding principles” that seek to “undo our democratic system from within.”

Further Reading

Arizona County Still Hasn’t Certified Its Midterm Results—Here’s Why It Could Cost Republicans A House Seat (Forbes)

‘False, Misleading’ Accusations: Federal Judge Sanctions Kari Lake For Challenging Arizona’s Voting Procedures (Forbes)

Trump, Kari Lake Amplify Unfounded Claims Of Election Malfeasance In Arizona As Certification Deadline Nears (Forbes)