Howard Fischer reports, Judge rejects Arizona Senate’s claim some election audit records are private:
A judge rejected a state Senate claim that some of its records about the 2020 election sham “fraudit” are not subject to public disclosure.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Hannah said Tuesday he would not accept the arguments by Kory Langhofer, the attorney for Senate President Karen Fann, that he should just accept the Senate’s assertions the documents at issue are protected by “legislative privilege.’’
“The court finds that the Senate has not carried its burden of overcoming the legal presumption favoring disclosure,’’ the judge wrote in a 13-page order Tuesday. “The record as it stands does not establish that the documents are privileged and that the Senate is entitled to withhold them from the public on that ground.’’
But Hannah offered Langhofer and the Senate an “out’’ of sorts.
The judge told them they are free to give the documents to him. And then he will decide, after reviewing them [in camera], whether they [should be made] public.
“Otherwise the Senate must disclose the documents forthwith,’’ he said.
Most immediately, Hannah ordered the Senate to turn over several specific groups of items:
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- A string of text messages between Fann and Phil Waldon, described as an “election security analyst,’’ whom the judge said appears to be little more than an informal adviser.
- The draft contract that Fann signed with Shiva Ayyudurai, after the audit started, to separately look at the signatures on ballot envelopes.
- Communications between Cyber Ninjas’ CEO Doug Logan and audit liaison Randy Pullen regarding the conduct of the audit.
- Three emails between Sen. Sonny Borrelli, R-Lake Havasu City, and Republican Reps. Leo Biasiucci, also of Lake Havasu City, and Mark Finchem of Oro Valley.
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The ruling eventually could set the stage for disclosure of a flood of documents that the Senate has so far refused to produce. Langhofer told another judge looking at the same issue of privilege that the Senate has about 1,000 documents it considers not subject to disclosure.
In his ruling, Hannah said there is some precedent for legislative privilege. For example, he said, requiring full disclosure of all communications among lawmakers and even among their advisers could “chill’’ legislators from their deliberations.
But he said [the privilege] is narrow. “The legislative privilege does not apply to everything a legislator says or does that is somehow related to the legislative process,’’ Hannah wrote. “The shield extends only as far as necessary to preserve the integrity of the legislative process.’’
Then there’s the state’s public records law. “The Arizona Legislature has enacted a strong policy favoring public access to information,’’ the judge said. More to the point, he noted that lawmakers applied that policy to themselves.
What that leaves, Hannah said, is who gets to decide. And he said it can’t be left to lawmakers to determine which of their own records are public and which they can withhold.
“The courts, not current members of the legislature, are responsible for defining the scope of the legislative privilege by balancing the public interest in legislator confidentiality against the robust disclosure policy of the public records law,’’ the judge wrote.
“The most important factor that an Arizona court must weigh against an assertion of privilege is the public’s interest in access to information,’’ he continued. “The balance between the two policies determines the scope of the legislative privilege.’’
Moreover, “In close or doubtful situations, the public records law prioritizes public access over legislative secrecy,’’ Hannah said.
Phoenix Newspapers Inc., which operates as The Arizona Republic, filed suit seeking public disclosure of the records.
Langhofer argued that the newspaper has to make “a substantial showing’’ that the Senate’s assertion of privilege was “clear error’’ before it can ask the court to “commandeer’’ the materials for review.
“No Arizona case says anything remotely like this,’’ Hannah countered.
Once again. how is Kory Langhofer not facing bar discipline for disbarment for his frequent misrepresentations of law (lack of candor to the tribunal) and assertion of legal positions not well grounded in law or fact (frivolous claims). He is a disgrace to the legal profession. Judge Hannah should sanction him and refer him to the state bar for discipline. There must be consequences for his frequent bad conduct.
The judge also said the newspaper has offered several “reasonable, fact-based arguments’’ that the Senate does not have a valid privilege claim for most of the documents it sought to shield. And he noted that, even without his intervention, the Senate gave up the claim on 19 of the 25 specific records being sought.
A separate request for public records, filed by a group called American Oversight, is pending in front of Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Michael Kemp. That judge set a hearing for Nov. 2 on whether he should hold Fann and the Senate in contempt for failing to produce the records he has ordered surrendered.
Damn straight he should hold them and their attorney in contempt! I would give them a daily accruing fine and some jail time until they comply with the court’s order. Lawless GQP politicians need to be brought to heel to the rule of law.
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AzBlueMouth, you really need to stop making things up. There is nothing lawless about what the Senate Republicans did. It is not lawless to take your case to a judge to have it decided. And in this case while the judge generally ruled against the Republicans, they did it got a small win by now having him screen the documents for a public release.
That is the way our legal system works. Republicans stayed within the law and exercised their constitutional rights. Do you find that problematic? If so, maybe you should move to Cuba (You deserve their healthcare.) or North Korea. But as long as you stay here, stop lying about what happened.
AZBlueMouth. Wow.
AZ can defend himself.
But I’m happy to point out the many times John Kavanagh has whined about name calling on this site.
Proving yet again that he’s as Phony as I keep saying he is.
Regarding using the name AzBlueMouth, I started using that based on the last response he made to one of my comments, which was laced with filthy profanities. I won’t even go down the road of his using the racially insensitive term “boy,” which apparently when said by a liberal does not draw any higher from the readers of this blog.
Regarding your post, it is telling that you’re more concerned about my new name calling as opposed to AzBlueMouth lying. You really should get your priorities in order.
Make that “drawer any ire.”
One more time (damn voice dictation): “…draw any ire.”
Re: calling you “boy”, dude, you’re white. The connotation you’re working so hard to justify doesn’t apply to your skin tone.
Also, he called you “Troll boy”, which is accurate.
But it’s Friday, I’m feeling generous, now that you’ve explained it, I’ll give you one point for BlueMouth being mildly clever.
I will however deduct 5 points for pretending to be hurt by being a white man called boy.
Racist idiot.
I never claimed to be hurt. Give me the 5 points back.