The Arizona Supreme Court has denied GOP candidate Kari Lake’s petition to transfer her election lawsuit to the high court since it is slated to be heard before an appeals court.
“The Court notes that the Court of Appeals has entered a scheduling order directing respondents in the special action proceeding to file a response and has indicated that the matter will be conferenced, with possible oral argument, on January 24, 2023. No good cause appears to transfer the matter to this Court.”
The court denied the appeal and Lake’s petition for special action without prejudice.
Kari Lake had filed the appeal in her case against Maricopa County and Arizona election officials after a judge ruled to dismiss her lawsuit. According to the court filing, Lake also sought the Arizona Supreme Court’s case review.
Arizona Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson first ruled against Lake’s legal challenge against former Secretary of State and now Governor-Elect Katie Hobbs on December 24.
The court rejected Lake’s claim that ballot printer and tabulation issues at many polling places on Election Day resulted from official misconduct that changed the election results.
“The Court cannot accept speculation or conjecture in place of clear and convincing evidence,” Judge Thompson said.
Former Secretary of State and Governor-Elect Katie Hobbs did not testify about certifying her election. Kari Lake’s team withdrew its subpoena of Hobbs earlier in the week.
After the last day of court hearings, Kari Lake provided a statement to the press.
“We proved without a shadow of a doubt that there was malicious intent that caused disruption so great it changed the results of the election,” she said.
“We provided expert testimony,” she added. “We provided experts. The other side brought in activists to try to save face. They admitted that they’ve known about these ballot problems. That they’re ballot problems. Now they’re trying to say it’s been going on for three elections. Our elections are a mess in this country, and I am so happy to stand up and say no longer will we, as Americans, put up with this. We demand fair, honest, transparent elections, and we will get them.”
Lake subsequently vowed to keep fighting for election integrity in Arizona as she told Steve Bannon on his “War Room” podcast:
“I am standing up for the people of this state, the people who were done wrong on Election Day, and the millions of people who live outside of Maricopa County, whose vote was watered down by this bogus election in Maricopa County.”