Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs and Maricopa County, Arizona, filed for sanctions against Republican gubernatorial candidate, Kari Lake, shortly after a judge rejected Lake’s lawsuit over the results of the election.
According to CNBC, Hobbs and Maricopa County asked for sanctions against Lake and her legal team after her two-day trial over some of her claims about the 2022 election, which Townhall covered. In his ruling, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson said that the court did not find evidence of misconduct that would have changed the outcome of the election.
Thompson reportedly acknowledged that Hobbs and the country intended to seek sanctions against Lake and were given a deadline to file a motion for the sanctions (via CNBC):
Attorneys for Hobbs, who has been Arizona’s secretary of state for four years, joined the county in its filing Monday seeking $25,050 from Lake, which includes attorney fees for Hobbs and the state’s most populous county. The county took aim at Lake’s remarks before the election indicating she would not accept the results unless she won, as well as her “groundless” and “frivolous” lawsuit after the election was certified.
The sanctions would be in the form of a financial penalty imposed by a judge for violation of a court rule or misconduct, Reuters noted.
Townhall reported how Lake said in a tweet after the ruling that she would appeal.
My Election Case provided the world with evidence that proves our elections are run outside of the law. This Judge did not rule in our favor. However, for the sake of restoring faith and honesty in our elections, I will appeal his ruling.
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) December 24, 2022
Last month, Katie covered how Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates noted that dozens of polling locations experienced major issues on Election Day. Complaints were documented from voters who claimed their votes were delayed or not counted at all. Maricopa County encompasses more than half the state’s population.
According to a report from The Hill, Maricopa County Co-Elections Director Scott Jarrett testified during the trial that the county’s “root cause analysis” of the issue on Election Day remains ongoing. Some election officials reportedly said that printer heat settings contributed to the problems on Election Day.