The Arizona Republic reports:
A Maricopa County judge has affirmed — again — Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ win in November and rejected Republican Kari Lake’s claims that improper signature verification and misconduct affected the outcome.
The ruling comes after Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson heard three days of testimony and argument in his Mesa courtroom May 17-19. That proceeding, an unusual second trial in Lake’s legal challenge to her November loss to Hobbs, was limited to a single claim about signature verification.
Lake’s legal team argued it could prove signatures were examined in a matter of seconds, so short a timeframe it did not count as verification under state law. Thompson, in a Monday night ruling, disagreed.
The Associated Press reports:
In mid-February, the Arizona Court of Appeals rejected Lake’s assertions, concluding she presented no evidence that voters whose ballots were unreadable by tabulators at polling places were unable to vote.
The following month, the state Supreme Court declined to hear nearly all of Lake’s appeal, saying there was no evidence to support her claim that more than 35,000 ballots were added to vote totals.
Earlier this month, the court sanctioned Lake’s lawyers $2,000 for making false statements when saying that more than 35,000 ballots had been improperly added to the total count.
The Kari Lake lawsuit grift is over as she goes down to another crushing defeat in the AZ Supreme Court. Now we get the Senate announcement to keep the cash flowing and toxic narcissism going. pic.twitter.com/4Pkuh48u1U
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) May 23, 2023
Today is Monday. That means we learn, again, that Kari Lake lost in Arizona.
If you still believe @KariLake won, then either you are in a cult, or you are a sore loser who disrespects the will of the voters. https://t.co/RH9qqDQOCi
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) May 23, 2023
Yes, @KariLake is a sore loser. Just like Donald Trump, she is everything you teach your kids NOT to be. But here’s what’s even worse: If she runs for US Senate, she’s a lock for the GOP nomination. Because being a sore loser plays really well with the GOP base. https://t.co/Yv1DcSLhGD
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) May 23, 2023
A judge has rejected Kari Lake’s remaining legal claim challenging her loss in the race for Arizona governor. https://t.co/WPEB6TsHZv
— ABC News (@ABC) May 23, 2023