Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has filed a lawsuit seeking to compel House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, the Democrat who won her late father’s seat in a special election nearly a month ago.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, names the state of Arizona and Grijalva as plaintiffs, arguing that Johnson’s delay is “disenfranchising the voters of Arizona’s seventh Congressional district” and depriving the district’s 813,000 residents of representation.
Johnson has defended the delay, stating he will seat Grijalva once Senate Democrats agree to reopen the government, which is now on its 21st day of a shutdown. He blasted the lawsuit as “patently absurd” and claimed Mayes has “no jurisdiction.”
Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have suggested Johnson is intentionally delaying the swearing-in because Grijalva represents the final signature needed on a discharge petition to force a House vote on compelling the release of all Justice Department files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Johnson has repeatedly denied this link, citing what he called the “Pelosi precedent” from a 2021 special election delay, and said he is “anxious” to administer the oath once the government reopens. Grijalva won her special election on September 23.
Mayes’ legal action escalates the standoff, which has also seen congressional Democrats stage protests and hold news conferences to pressure the Speaker.
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