[ad_1]
(Reuters) – A judge on Thursday threw out a Republican-backed lawsuit that sought to prevent Arizona officials from certifying President-elect Joe Biden as the state winner, sparking another setback in the courtroom for President Donald Trump and your allies.
Judge John Hannah, a state court judge in Phoenix, said in a short order that he was denying a request by the Arizona Republican Party for a court order preventing the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors from certifying the results in the county. , where most Arizonans live. .
Democrat Joe Biden defeated Trump in Arizona by more than 10,000 votes, according to Edison Research, one of the states that changed to win the White House by securing 306 Electoral College votes to 232 for the president.
Trump has expressed his anger on Twitter at the results of the November 3 election, making unsubstantiated allegations of fraud. Your efforts to contest the results https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-strategy/trumps-election-power-play-persuade-republican-legislators-to-do-what-us- voters-no-idUSKBN27Z30G in court have almost completely failed. But opinion polls show that his complaints about a “rigged” election have political gain, and as many as half of Trump’s fellow Republicans believe them, according to a Reuters / Ipsos poll.
Arizona Republicans had asked Hannah to order a re-audit of the ballots, arguing that it had been done in a way that violated state law.
The judge did not explain why he was denying the request, but said he will issue a longer decision soon.
The Arizona Republican Party said in a statement that it had sought “judicial clarification” on whether election officials could replace state laws.
“Unfortunately, this ruling makes it clear to Arizonans that they must ensure that this issue is addressed with new legislation that clearly outlines the parameters in which the Secretary can and cannot impose his own interpretation of our laws in the future,” the statement said.
The party filed the case last week against Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes and the county board of supervisors.
The lawsuit alleged a violation of a law related to the determination of a sample for an audit of the ballots after the elections.
The judge also said it would be “futile” to allow the party to file a revised lawsuit, indicating deep skepticism about the case.
A Pennsylvania judge handed Trump a defeat in a separate lawsuit Thursday, rejecting his campaign’s attempt to invalidate some 2,200 ballots in Bucks County, near Philadelphia, over alleged defects.
The judge said “there is no evidence of fraud, misconduct or irregularity with respect to the contested ballots,” noting that the Trump campaign agreed with that assessment.
(Report by Jan Wolfe; Additional Report by Makini Brice; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Grant McCool)
[ad_2]
