Judge rejects GOP bid to delay vote certification in Phoenix
But Giuliani plans major lawsuit in Arizona
PHOENIX – A judge on Thursday removed the last legal hurdle to certifying the results of the election and handing the state’s 11 electoral votes to Joe Biden.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Hannah denied the request by the Arizona Republican Party to block county supervisors from conducting a formal “canvass’’ to certify the votes. That clears the way for board action as early as Friday.
More to the point, Hannah summarily granted a bid by county supervisors to toss the entire case, a request that was joined by Secretary of State Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Democratic Party.
State GOP spokesman Zach Henry would not comment about a possible appeal.
But Thursday’s ruling is not the end of the debate about who won in Arizona.
At a press conference Thursday, Trump campaign attorney Rudy Giuliani promised a new major lawsuit in Arizona as well as one in the battleground state of Georgia, claiming to have “hundreds’’ of affidavits proving election fraud but declining to show them to reporters.
And state Rep. Mark Finchem, R-Oro Valley, counting on such a new lawsuit, is using that as a trigger to seek a special legislative session. He said the U.S. Constitution gives lawmakers to call themselves into session to look at voting in federal elections if there is evidence available – even from what has been filed in court – that there was fraud.
Separately, Senate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott, announced that the GOP caucus is setting up a special email account “to gather documented proof of voting irregularities in the 2020 general election in Arizona.’’
Fann had previously said she wanted a look at what happened this year as a starting point for a future review of state election laws. Now, however, the Senate president wants these complaints by Nov. 27 – three days before the date set to formally “canvass’’ and certify the vote tally.
But Fann told Capitol Media Services it is not her intent to affect the canvass. Instead, she said, any credible information gathered would be passed along to the secretary of state or the at