Scary Lake has received most of the post-election attention in Arizona, for good reason. After losing the gubernatorial race in November to Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, her first lawsuit claiming election shenanigans was thrown out and her attorneys were sanctioned for filing such a bogus POS. Lake’s second lawsuit received a two-day hearing last week, after which the court ruled her attorneys provided no evidence, and ordered that Katie Hobbs is Governor-Elect. After Maricopa County and Hobbs filed a motion to sanction and fine Kari Lake’s attorneys for wasting the court’s time with frivolous complaints, the judge awarded Hobbs’ Office $33,000, but did not impose sanctions. So what does Lake do? She filed another lawsuit with the Court of Appeals. If you’re keeping score, that’s one lost election, two dismissed lawsuits, and another pending.
Until sanctions, even disbarment, and stiff fines are levied against these Republican bozos, they’ll keep playing the courts—not necessarily to reverse the outcome, but to cast doubt on the state’s election system, attack political foes, and keep their grift going. Most lawsuits, for example, mention the potential “fraud” of mail-in voting, which Arizona has used for thirty years with no problem—efficient, secure, accurate, used by about 90 percent of voters. Mail-in voting, along with ballot boxes and early voting, didn’t become suspect until trump lost Arizona in 2020 and “Stop the Steal” was born.
Enter Mark Finchem, the former Arizona Legislator, Oath Keeper, and Jan. 6 insurrectionist who lost the Secretary of State race to Democrat Adrian Fontes by 120,000 votes, nowhere near as close as Kari Lake’s 17,000-vote defeat. Arizonans knew what was at stake. Finchem’s race was one of the most closely watched contests in the country because he made it clear that, as Secretary of State, he’d fix Arizona’s elections so no Democrat could win again. If you haven’t seen this six-minute video of Adrian Fontes on election night, even the first minute or two shows how dangerous Finchem is and how lucky Arizona is to have Fontes in that office.
After Finchem was walloped by Fontes, he joined Kari Lake in the first lawsuit claiming fraud and mismanagement. U.S. District Court Judge John Tuchi was having none of their “baseless” bullshit, ordering sanctions against the eight attorneys, who included Alan Dershowitz:
In a blistering 30-page opinion, a federal judge ordered sanctions against the attorneys of Kari Lake and Mark Finchem in their lawsuit against voting machines, hoping to deter “similarly baseless suits in the future.”
The filing, wrote Judge Tuchi, was little more than “conjectural allegations,” “frivolous complaint[s],” and “false narratives.” Unfortunately, the judge’s hope that sanctions would deter Lake and Finchem from continuing their empty, expensive, and ultimately pointless quest did not pan out. Lake’s been on an never-ending journey through the courts, always coming up empty, and Finchem’s right behind her.
After being shot down by Judge Tuchi, Finchem’s next lawsuit sought a new election, but still lacked evidence; it was dismissed by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Melissa Julian, who again ruled that Finchem’s attorney did not prove any claims of misconduct. The lawyer was so bad and his case so empty that Judge Julian invited current Secretary of State Katie Hobbs and Secretary of State-Elect Adrian Fontes to seek redress.
Knowing Finchem plans yet another appeal, Hobbs and Fontes have taken up Judge Julian’s offer today, filing a motion seeking sanctions against Finchem’s attorney and legal fees.
This case is a politically motivated weaponization of the legal process meant to perpetuate the dangerous narrative that our elections are unreliable, our elected leaders are corrupt, and our democracy is broken—all because Mr. Finchem lost the election...
Among Finchem’s outrageous claims, most of them based on rumor and speculation, was that Katie Hobbs caused his Twitter account to be suspended. No worry, Musk has invited the insurrectionist, antisemite, and election denier back on Twitter.
Kari Lake said she’s having a hard time hiring top-notch lawyers to represent her, because anyone who knows anything about her case fears sanctions and fines, and Finchem’s having an even tougher time. For his second lawsuit he found Daniel McCauley, an elderly lawyer who told the court, “I mean, if I get into real trouble and get disbarred here, I’m 76 or 77 by the time they get to it.” The Fontes-Hobbs motion for sanctions made use of that:
This statement shows that, to try and effectuate his personal coup and frustrate the lawful post-election transition of power, Mr. Finchem had to find legal counsel with “the … least risk,” with nothing to lose, who would be willing to forego any duty of investigation and march into Court with Mr. Finchem’s divisive (albeit unsubstantiated) narrative...
We still don’t know when or if Finchem will follow through with his third lawsuit, to keep up with Kari Lake, although he filed a notice to appeal last week. Finchem raised about $10,000 from the Oath Keepers for the election, but we don’t know what third party is funding his ongoing futile court disasters. Kari Lake is grifting online and has received at least $180,000 from the Pillow nutter and the Overstocked.com boob. Reporters have asked but nobody’s saying who’s backing the Oath Keeper, insurrectionist, and bigoted loser in a big hat.
Note to courts: Whoever’s funding Finchem, make them pay. End this bullshit.
JUST IN! This is a bit off-topic but not really because it relates to another Arizona Republican lawsuit (and probably another appeal). After a recount Democrat Kris Mayes was declared the winner of the AG race over trumpy Republican Abe Hamadeh. He had also filed a lawsuit challenging the results, which was dismissed without a hearing. That means Democrats swept the Governor’s race, US Senate, Secretary of State, and now Attorney General. Sanity prevails.