Arizona's attorney general, Kris Mayes, suffered a setback as the state supreme court denied an appeal of an order requiring the fake elector case against Donald Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, and others to be sent back to a grand jury.
Background of the Case
The case concerns efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Arizona, where Joe Biden won by 10,457 votes. The defendants were accused of submitting false elector slates to Congress.
Court Ruling
The Arizona Supreme Court's decision upholds a lower-court ruling from May, which found that the initial grand jury was not properly informed about the Electoral Count Act, a 19th-century law governing presidential certification. Defense lawyers argued that the law allowed for multiple elector slates in disputed elections, though it was amended in 2022 to restrict states to a single slate approved by the governor.
Mayes' office stated it would present the case again to a grand jury rather than drop the prosecution. The ruling follows similar dismissals in Michigan and Georgia, and the dropping of a federal case against Trump in late 2024.
Current Status
No trial court activity has occurred in Arizona since mid-May. Related cases remain active in Nevada and Wisconsin.
