{"id":2334457,"date":"2024-08-30T16:49:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T20:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-upholds-block-on-arizonas-anti-speech-election-rules\/"},"modified":"2024-08-30T16:55:09","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T20:55:09","slug":"judge-upholds-block-on-arizonas-anti-speech-election-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-upholds-block-on-arizonas-anti-speech-election-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge Upholds Block On Arizona&#8217;s Anti-Speech Election Rules"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjudge-upholds-block-on-arizonas-anti-speech-election-rules%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2334457&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>An Arizona judge recently \u2063upheld an injunction \u2063that prevents \u200bthe enforcement of certain provisions in the state&#8217;s election guidance which \u200bwere deemed to \u200drestrict \u200bfree speech. Judge Jennifer Ryan-Touhill of the Maricopa\u2063 County Superior Court rejected a request from\u2062 Democrat Secretary of State Adrian Fontes to pause this ruling \u2063pending an appeal. The court found that\u200b the provisions governing conduct at polling places were excessive and violated the state constitution by restricting \u200dspeech.<\/p>\n<p>In her initial ruling, Ryan-Touhill highlighted that the election \u200cguidance misrepresented legal standards and improperly attempted to regulate both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-rules-ca-gov-overstepped-his-authority-with-covid-order-issues-permanent-injunction-restraining-newsom-from-further-issuing-unconstitutional-orders\/\" title=\"Judge Rules CA Gov Overstepped His Authority with Covid Order, Issues Permanent Injunction Restraining Newsom From Further Issuing Unconstitutional Orders\">election officials<\/a> and voters.\u2063 The court deemed these rules unenforceable. Fontes expressed \u200dhis intent to \u2062appeal the\u2064 decision, arguing that the disputed provisions were intended as advisory support for poll workers. \u200dHowever, \u2063the judge disagreed, emphasizing that all citizens \u200bmust\u2064 adhere to the law, and the court\u2019s\u2064 role is to interpret the law \u200band facts rather than clarify the\u2062 advisory document.<\/p>\n<p>The ruling\u200c is significant as it protects First Amendment rights in the context of elections. Fontes still has \u200bthe\u200d chance to argue the constitutionality of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-seeking-to-intervene-in-republican-arizona-election-manual-challenge\/\" title=\"Democrats want to intervene in the GOP&#039;s Arizona election manual dispute\">election procedure manual<\/a> at a future trial, but this\u2064 will not occur until after the November elections, meaning the current restrictions remain \u200bin effect for the time being.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2024\/08\/localimages\/File-3AAdrian_Fontes_-2853929062717-29.jpg\">Gage Skidmore\/Wikimedia Commons\/<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/deed.en\">CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/30\/arizona-judge-upholds-block-on-secretary-fontes-anti-speech-election-rules\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Arizona%20Judge%20Upholds%20Block%20On%20Secretary%20Fontes%E2%80%99%20Anti-Speech%20Election%20Rules&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/30\/arizona-judge-upholds-block-on-secretary-fontes-anti-speech-election-rules\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Arizona%20Judge%20Upholds%20Block%20On%20Secretary%20Fontes%E2%80%99%20Anti-Speech%20Election%20Rules&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/30\/arizona-judge-upholds-block-on-secretary-fontes-anti-speech-election-rules\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/30\/arizona-judge-upholds-block-on-secretary-fontes-anti-speech-election-rules\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Arizona%20Judge%20Upholds%20Block%20On%20Secretary%20Fontes%E2%80%99%20Anti-Speech%20Election%20Rules&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/30\/arizona-judge-upholds-block-on-secretary-fontes-anti-speech-election-rules\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>An Arizona judge upheld an injunction on Wednesday prohibiting enforcement of provisions in the state&rsquo;s election guidance that her court found &ldquo;restricted free speech.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Writing for the Maricopa County Superior Court of Arizona, Judge Jennifer Ryan-Touhill <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/azfec\/status\/1828897717755707413\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">denied<\/a> a request by Democrat Secretary of State Adrian Fontes to place a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/appeals-court-blocks-january-6-committee-access-to-trump-white-house-documents\/\" title=\"Appeals Court Blocks January 6 Committee Access To Trump White House Documents\">stay pending appeal<\/a> on the court&rsquo;s recent injunction barring election officials from implementing parts of the <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.azsos.gov\/election\/files\/epm\/2023\/EPM_20231231_Final_Edits_to_Cal_1_11_2024.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2023 Election Procedures Manual (EPM)<\/a>. In Arizona, the EPM is crafted by the secretary of state and provides guidance to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-both-the-how-and-the-what-of-democrat-election-chiefs-rulebook-violate-arizona-law\/\" title=\"Lawsuit: Democrat Election Chief&#039;s Rulebook Violates Arizona Law\">election officials relating<\/a> to mail ballots, voter registration, and other election-related matters.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-b3f88284bcfb7e34f4ff3b81149d38a8 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-b3f88284bcfb7e34f4ff3b81149d38a8\"><\/div>\n<p>In her initial ruling, Ryan-Touhill <a href=\"https:\/\/azfree.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/AZ-Free-Enterprise-Club-v.-Fontes-Court-Order.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">determined<\/a> the provisions governing Arizonans&rsquo; conduct at polling locations went &ldquo;too far&rdquo; by attempting to police the behavior of both election officials and the public. She ruled that they constitute &ldquo;speech restrictions in violation of our Arizona Constitution,&rdquo; and noted that the EPM &ldquo;misstates or modifies [state] statutes, and fails to identify any distinction between guidance and legal mandates.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The court deemed the aforementioned rules &ldquo;unenforceable,&rdquo; prompting Fontes&rsquo; office to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.12news.com\/article\/news\/local\/arizona\/arizona-judge-blocks-speech-restrictions-in-elections-manual-adrian-fontes\/75-91dcdeef-b54b-4c39-aeab-95322ed0a097\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pledge<\/a> to appeal the decision. Fontes filed a motion on Aug. 14 asking the court to place a stay on its decision while litigation on the matter continued.<\/p>\n<p>Rejecting the motion, Ryan-Touhill noted Wednesday that while the court &ldquo;understands Defendants&rsquo; position that the disputed section is intended to be &lsquo;guidance&rsquo; for election officials,&rdquo; it &ldquo;simply disagreed with Defendants&rsquo; position and found the disputed section was <em>not<\/em> guidance, but, instead, an overreach by the Secretary of State that restricted free speech.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;To reiterate, while Defendants claim confusion exists over the Court&rsquo;s Ruling because Defendants believe they have issued advisory assistance to poll workers, the Court finds this without merit and reminds Defendants all citizens must follow the law,&rdquo; Ryan-Touhill <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/azfec\/status\/1828897717755707413\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a>. &ldquo;It is not this Court&rsquo;s duty to parcel through the EPM to analyze every phrase that does or does not comply with hypotheticals propounded by Defendants. The Court is instead tasked with the duty of analyzing the law and facts provided; that is what this Court did.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-b321b7adb61ca6ee2b4ea09f708e6009 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-b321b7adb61ca6ee2b4ea09f708e6009\"><\/div>\n<p>The Arizona judge further noted that the court was &ldquo;not persuaded&rdquo; by Fontes&rsquo; arguments that plaintiffs&rsquo; concerns about free speech violations &ldquo;ring[] hollow.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Court reiterates its prior finding: &lsquo;[I]t is always in the public interest to prevent the violation of a party&rsquo;s constitutional rights,&rdquo; she added.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kjzz.org\/kjzz-news\/2024-08-29\/fontes-says-ruling-on-elections-procedures-manual-is-an-unfortunate-decision\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">local media<\/a>, Fontes &ldquo;still retains the opportunity to argue, at a full-blown trial, that the [EPM&rsquo;s speech] restrictions are both constitutional and necessary.&rdquo; Such a scenario would reportedly not occur until after the November election, meaning the prohibition on the disputed guidance will remain in effect for those contests. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e04c9400c1dd9a621260b3f2bd107574 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e04c9400c1dd9a621260b3f2bd107574\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-american-freedom-convoy-set-to-launch-on-march-1\/\" title=\"Exclusive: \u2018American Freedom Convoy\u2019 Set To Launch On March 1\">state content writer<\/a> for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\" rel=\"noopener\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2024-election\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2024 election<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/adrian-fontes\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Adrian Fontes<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/arizona\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Arizona<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/arizona-constitution\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Arizona Constitution<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/court-ruling\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">court ruling<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/election-procedures-manual\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Election Procedures Manual<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/election-rules\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">election rules<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/first-amendment\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">First Amendment<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/free-speech\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">free speech<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/maricopa-county\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Maricopa County<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An Arizona judge confirmed an injunction on Wednesday that prevents the enforcement of certain provisions in the state&#8217;s election guidance, which her court determined &#8220;restricted free speech.&#8221; Judge Jennifer Ryan-Touhill of the Maricopa County Superior Court rejected a request from Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes to delay the injunction while an appeal is pending. The Election Procedures Manual (EPM), created by the secretary of state, offers guidance to election officials on matters such as mail ballots and voter registration.<\/p>\n<p>In her initial ruling, Ryan-Touhill stated that rules governing behavior at polling places were excessive in trying to regulate both election officials and voters. She found these rules to be &#8220;speech restrictions in violation of our Arizona Constitution,&#8221; noting that they misrepresented state statutes and blurred the line between guidance and legal requirements. As a result, these rules were deemed &#8220;unenforceable,&#8221; leading Fontes&#8217; office to announce plans for an appeal. On August 14, Fontes requested a stay on this decision during ongoing litigation.<\/p>\n<p>In denying this motion, Ryan-Touhill emphasized that while she understood Defendants&#8217; claim that the contested section was meant as &#8220;guidance&#8221; for election officials, she disagreed and viewed it instead as an overreach by the Secretary of State infringing upon free speech rights. She reiterated that all citizens must adhere to laws without needing detailed analysis from the court regarding every phrase in the EPM.<\/p>\n<p>The judge also dismissed Fontes\u2019 arguments suggesting plaintiffs\u2019 concerns about free speech violations lacked substance. She reaffirmed her earlier conclusion: \u201cIt is always in the public interest to prevent violations of constitutional rights.\u201d Local media reported that Fontes will still have a chance to argue at a full trial whether these speech restrictions are constitutional and necessary; however, this trial would not take place until after November&#8217;s elections, meaning those disputed guidelines will remain suspended during those contests. <\/p>\n<p>Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist with experience writing for various outlets including RealClearPolitics and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2334458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Adrian_Fontes_53929062717.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4472,39781,39444],"class_list":["post-2334457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-arizona","tag-electionrules","tag-freespeech"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Adrian_Fontes_53929062717.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2334457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2334457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2334457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2334458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2334457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2334457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2334457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}