A judge Friday evening dismissed Rep. Mark Finchem’s lawsuit seeking a do-over of the race for Arizona secretary of state and affirmed Adrian Fontes as winner of the Nov. 8 election.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Melissa Julian issued her ruling eight hours after a hearing that veered from allegations of improper interference with social media platforms to unfounded claims about questionable vote tabulation machines to the prospect of disbarring Finchem’s attorney for filing a frivolous lawsuit.
Finchem, a Republican from Oro Valley, lost to Democrat Fontes in the Nov. 8 election by 120,208 votes. Julian’s ruling affirms that result. Fontes is slated to take the oath of office Jan. 2.
Finchem’s lawsuit revolved around allegations of misconduct by current Secretary of State Katie Hobbs for allegedly failing to ensure the tabulation machines were properly approved by the federal Elections Assistance Commission, despite evidence provided to the court that shows the machines had such approval. Finchem also cited other alleged misconduct, suggesting that the late October suspension of his Twitter account was likely due to Hobbs’ interference.
Julian rejected all of the misconduct allegations. “None of these alleged acts constitutes ‘misconduct’ sufficient to survive dismissal,” she wrote.
Julian also granted a request from attorneys for Hobbs and Fontes for sanctions, giving them 10 days to file their demand.
The judge’s ruling quashes Finchem’s attempt to get a redo of the secretary of state race.
You can read the judge’s ruling at this link.