Arizona Republican Party v. Fontes

Arizona GOP lawsuit looking to delay Arizona's election audit by expanding its scope. The court dismissed the case and ordered the GOP to pay the Secretary of State's attorneys fees if so sought.

People are saying

"The suit was brought against the wrong party, and far too late, for the requested relief." - Judge John R. Hannah, Jr.

"This case is a textbook example of unreasonable delay that calls for the application of laches. The plaintiff could have gone forward with the case months ago. Instead it waited until after the election, after the statutory deadline for commencing the hand count audit, and (as it turned out) after the completion of the audit. The delay prejudiced both the defendants and the public." - Judge John R. Hannah, Jr.

"It is telling that the plaintiff lost interest in the declaratory judgment claim, and pivoted instead to the request for an injunction to stop the certification of the election and the canvass of the results, as soon as the defendants made clear that the hand count audit has been completed. . . . The real issue, evidently, was the outcome of the 2020 election." - Judge John R. Hannah, Jr.

"These longstanding [election] rules . . . remain vital today, guarding the electoral process against the gamesmanship of those who might otherwise hedge against a loss at the polls by holding legal issues in reserve or use the law as a tool to thwart the will of the voters." - Judge John R. Hannah, Jr.

"It is telling that the plaintiff lost interest in the declaratory judgment claim, and pivoted instead . . . to stop the certification of the election and the canvass of the results, as soon as the defendants made clear that the hand count audit has been completed. The plaintiff could have pursued the declaratory judgment claim to determine how to audit future voting center elections. That it did not do so demonstrates that its real interest was not the audit procedure as such. The real issue, evidently, was the outcome of the 2020 election." - Judge John R. Hannah, Jr.

"This case is a textbook example of unreasonable delay that calls for the application of laches. The plaintiff could have gone forward with the case months ago. Instead it waited until after the election, after the statutory deadline for commencing the hand count audit, and (as it turned out) after the completion of the audit. The delay prejudiced both the defendants and the public." - Judge John R. Hannah, Jr.

"A judge cannot change the election rules whenever someone has 'questions' or 'concerns' about the results." - Judge John R. Hannah, Jr.

"The hand counts verified that the machines had counted the votes flawlessly." - Judge John R. Hannah, Jr.


Trump's Lawyers

Court Filings

Name Filed On Type Status
Complaint 11/12/20 Complaint Dismissed
Reply re: Injunctive Relief 11/18/20 Motion Denied
Order Dismissing Case and Awarding Fees if Sought 11/18/20 Order Filed
Dismissal Opinion 12/21/20 Order Filed
Full Dismissal Order 12/21/20 Order Filed