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Arizona fake electors back
The Arizona Supreme Court denied a prosecutor’s appeal of an order sending the state’s fake elector case back to a grand jury, a decision described as another setback for Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes.
“Arizona Supreme Court denies prosecutor appeal against sending fake elector case back to grand jury PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Supreme Court has denied a prosecutor’s appeal of an order that the state’s fake elector case against President Donald Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and others over the 2020 presidential election be sent back to a grand jury”
The case targets President Donald Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and others over the 2020 presidential election, and Mayes’ office said it will again present the case in its entirety to a grand jury rather than end the prosecution.
The Associated Press said the ruling came after similar cases in Michigan and Georgia were dismissed by the courts and a special prosecutor dropped a federal case in late 2024 that charged Trump with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election.
In Phoenix, a lower-court judge concluded in May that the case’s first grand jury hadn’t been shown the text of the Electoral Count Act, a 19th-century law invoked by those charged in defending themselves.
The AP also reported that former President Joe Biden won Arizona in 2020 by 10,457 votes, and that there has been no movement in the Arizona case at the trial court level since mid-May 2025.
Defense applauds, Mayes persists
Mark L. Williams, an attorney representing Giuliani, applauded the court’s decision and questioned whether Mayes’ office will carry through on its promise to bring the case back to the grand jury.
Williams said, "In my mind, the whole thing is meritless," and added, "Mr. Giuliani has done nothing wrong."
The Arizona Supreme Court decision was also described by CNBC as a setback for Mayes as she struggles to push the sprawling case through the courts.
CNBC reported that Mayes’ office said it will again present the case in its entirety to a grand jury rather than end the prosecution, and that her office declined to comment further on the court’s decision.
CNBC further said a lower-court judge in Phoenix concluded in May that the case’s first grand jury hadn’t been shown the text of the Electoral Count Act, and that defense lawyers argued the law allowed for multiple slates of electors to be submitted to Congress in case the results were disputed.
What’s at stake next
The Arizona Supreme Court’s move keeps the fake elector prosecution alive in Arizona, with cases related to the fake elector scheme also remaining in Nevada and Wisconsin, according to the Associated Press.
“PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Supreme Court rejects prosecutor’s appeal, ensuring fake elector case goes back to the grand jury”
The AP said the case involves 18 defendants, including two former Trump aides, five lawyers working for Trump, and 11 Republicans who submitted a document falsely claiming Trump won Arizona.
KTAR News 92.3 FM reported that in May 2025 a Superior Court judge tossed the indictments against 18 Republicans accused of conspiring to overturn Donald Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in Arizona’s 2020 election.
KTAR News 92.3 FM said the judge ruled that the full details of the Electoral Count Act were not provided to the grand jury, and that an appeals court upheld the decision in September.
The Associated Press added that the case was filed nearly three and a half years after the 2020 election and that a dozen dismissal requests filed by defense attorneys had slowed the case’s pace, while three defendants had resolved their cases including one who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge.
