After the ruling against her claims, Lake speaks with media.|| Screenshot/The Arizona Republic
By Ray Stern || Arizona Republic
A judge on Saturday dismissed Republican Kari Lake’s election challenge and affirmed Democrat Katie Hobbs’ election as governor two days after a trial in which he said Lake failed to prove her case.
Maricopa County Judge Peter Thompson, who oversaw the two-day trial, ruled that Lake’s legal team never offered clear and convincing evidence showing the election was rigged against her.
Lake can appeal the case before Hobbs is expected to be sworn into office Jan. 2. Because of the tight timetable, the case may move swiftly to the Arizona Supreme Court.
Thompson noted that real problems did affect the election, but election workers tried their best and performed their role “with integrity.”
“Not perfectly,” Thompson continued, “as no system on this earth is perfect, but more than sufficient to comply with the law and conduct a valid election.”
Election law and case histories have set a high bar for election challenges like Lake’s. Courts must presume election results are valid barring strong evidence to the contrary.
Following attorneys’ oral arguments on Dec. 19, Thompson ordered the two-day evidence trial to give Lake a chance to prove two of her claims: that a county employee interfered illegally with the printers in a way that caused her to lose votes, and/or that ballots were added to the county’s total unlawfully.
His 10-page ruling dismantles Lake’s witnesses and their arguments, denying in each case that they presented compelling evidence. Any request for sanctions in the case need to be made by 8 a.m. Dec. 26, the ruling states.
