Kari Lake’s Election Challenge Gets Fast-Tracked by Judge.

Arizona Judge Schedules Oral Arguments for Kari Lake’s Election Lawsuit

Maricopa County Judge to Hear Arguments on Election-Related Claims

A Maricopa County judge has scheduled oral arguments for Friday to determine whether a trial will be held on GOP candidate Kari Lake’s lawsuit that contests the 2022 midterm election results. Lake, a former broadcast journalist for a Fox affiliate station, has alleged that Maricopa County erred in its signature verification process during the November election, leading to the disenfranchisement of Republican voters in the county.

Previously, the signature verification claim was dismissed due to a legal doctrine that prevents delayed lawsuits and bars challenges to election procedures after an election was conducted. However, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled in March that Lake should receive new consideration on this claim.

Maricopa County Recorder Stands Behind Election Administration

Following the March ruling, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer stood behind how he and the county handled the midterm election. “Since the 2020 general election, Maricopa County has won over 20 lawsuits challenging the fairness, accuracy, legality, and impartiality of its election administration,” he said in a statement.

Last week, the Arizona Supreme Court ordered Lake’s lawyers to pay a $2,000 fine for making allegedly “unequivocally false” claims connected to 35,000 ballots that were injected into the final Maricopa County results. In the same ruling, the high court ordered a hearing in connection to the signature verification issue.

Attorneys to File Arguments This Week

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson has directed attorneys for both parties to file arguments this week to debate in court on Friday, May 12. Thompson also stated that a three-day trial could start May 17 if needed, reported the Arizona Republic. But if the remaining count is dismissed, no trial would be held.

Allegations of Ballot Printer Problems and Disputed Claims

Lake, a rising star in the Republican Party and supporter of former President Donald Trump, has claimed that the November election was fraught with problems, namely in Maricopa County. She has pointed to ballot printer problems that resulted in long Election Day lines that she claims led to the disenfranchisement of Republican voters in the county, while Maricopa officials have dismissed her allegations.

Lake’s attorneys said the chain of custody for ballots was broken at an off-site facility where a contractor scans mail-in ballots to prepare them for processing. The lawyers asserted that workers put their own mail-in ballots into the pile rather than returning them through normal channels, and that paperwork documenting ballot transfers was missing. Maricopa County disputes the claims.

• Maricopa County judge schedules oral arguments for Friday to determine whether a trial will be held on GOP candidate Kari Lake’s lawsuit that contests the 2022 midterm election results.
• Arizona Supreme Court ruled in March that Lake should receive new consideration on her claim that Maricopa County erred in its signature verification process during the November election.
• Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer stood behind how he and the county handled the midterm election.
• Last week, the Arizona Supreme Court ordered Lake’s lawyers to pay a $2,000 fine for making allegedly “unequivocally false” claims connected to 35,000 ballots that were injected into the final Maricopa County results.
• Lake’s attorneys said the chain of custody for ballots was broken at an off-site facility where a contractor scans mail-in ballots to prepare them for processing.

Stay tuned for updates on this ongoing legal battle.