Finchem v. Fontes – 2022 Election Contest (AZ)
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On Dec. 9, 2022, Arizona secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem filed a complaint against his opponent, Adrian Fontes, in Maricopa County Superior Court to contest Fontes’s victory in the 2022 election. States United served as pro bono co-counsel to defendant, outgoing Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, alongside Coppersmith Brockelman PLC.
On Dec. 13, Hobbs filed a motion to dismiss, noting that Finchem’s claims were entirely speculative and failed to show that the results of the election were affected by the alleged misconduct.
On Dec. 16, Judge Melissa Iyer Julian dismissed the election contest in its entirety, confirming Fontes’s victory over Finchem in the 2022 Arizona secretary of state race.
On Dec. 21, Finchem filed a notice of appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court. The court denied the appeal on Dec. 28.
On Mar. 6, Judge Melissa Iyer Julian imposed sanctions against Finchem and his lawyer, ordering them to cover attorneys’ fees for Fontes and Hobbs and referring to the lawsuit as “groundless and not brought in good faith.”