Judge refuses to sanction Kari Lake, says election claims weren't 'groundless'

By 
 December 28, 2022

In a disappointing move for Republicans, an Arizona judge decided this past weekend to throw out a lawsuit by former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake alleging that the state's election was decided by fraud.

However, the Washington Examiner noted that the judge refused to sanction Lake, saying that her claims weren't "groundless."

According to the Examiner, Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson ruled on Tuesday that the former candidate must pay $30,000 worth of expert witness expenses.

Judge dismisses claim that election challenge was a "frivolous pursuit"

Thompson also denied a motion filed by Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs requesting that Lake face sanctions.

In her motion for sanctions, Hobbs asserted that Lake "has not simply failed to publicly acknowledge the election results."

"Instead, she filed a groundless, seventy-page election contest lawsuit against the governor-elect, the secretary of state, and Maricopa County and several of its elected officials and employees (but no other county or its employees), thereby dragging them and this court into this frivolous pursuit," Hobbs added.

While Thompson shot down that request, he made clear in his 10-page ruling on Saturday that Lake was not going to prevail.

"The court acknowledges the anger and frustration of voters who were subjected to inconvenience and confusion at voter centers as technical problems arose," he wrote.

"But this court’s duty is not solely to incline an ear to public outcry. It is to subject plaintiffs' claims and defendants’ actions to the light of the courtroom and scrutiny of the law," Thompson went on to insist.

Lake pledges to fight on with an appeal

Nevertheless, Lake has pledged to fight on with an appeal and the Republican proclaimed her resolve in a statement put out by her campaign's Twitter account the following day.

"Maricopa County's Co-Elections Director testified that not only DID the problems occur on Election Day but had happened for three elections prior," the statement read. "Despite this, Maricopa County used these machines, did not divulge this information to the public, & certified the election anyway.:

"The judge gave us an impossible hurdle to clear. Intentionality. We cleared it anyway," the statement insisted. "No universe exists where these machines went down by accident. No universe exists where [Katie Hobbs] wins a legitimate election. And no universe exists where [Kari Lake] surrenders this fight."

" A free people [claim] their rights, as derived from the laws of nature."
Thomas Jefferson
© 2015 - 2024 Conservative Institute. All Rights Reserved.