Arizona GOP chair and former state Senator Kelli Ward must turn over her cellphone records to the Jan. 6 committee, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday in a 7-2 ruling. Both Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented, though they refused to indicate why in the court’s brief. Ward has been a polarizing figure since well before the culminating of the 2020 election, in which she fully bought into and perpetuated then-president Donald Trump’s election hoax conspiracies.
My colleague Brandi Buchman has written extensively about Ward and her ilk, as well as Ward’s previous loss in court. Clearly, Ward has plenty to be worried about when it comes to her texts and messages ending up in the hands of the Jan. 6 committee. As NPR notes, Supreme Court Justice Thomas’ wife, Ginni, emailed more than two dozen Arizona lawmakers for the sake of pressuring them about electors—yet another controversy Ward is embroiled in. The probe could discover Ginni was in contact with Ward, though for now, that has yet to be proven.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Holy crap, what an amazing week! Where do we even begin this week's episode of The Downballot? Well, we know exactly where: abortion. Co-hosts David Nir and David Beard recap Tuesday's extraordinary results, starting with a clear-eyed examination of the issue that animated Democrats as never before—and that pundits got so badly wrong. They also discuss candidate quality (still really important!), Democratic meddling in GOP primaries (good for democracy, actually), and "soft" Biden disapprovers (lots of them voted for Democrats).