The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Kari Lake’s lawyer to overturn sanctions that arose from a lawsuit challenging Arizona’s voting machines.
Lake’s attorney, Andrew Parker, appealed a lower court ruling that ordered him to pay $122,000 in legal costs.
The sanctions were the result of a lawsuit to bar Arizona from using electronic voting machines, filed by Lake in April 2022 while she was a gubernatorial candidate. Lake was joined by Mark Finchem, who was a candidate for secretary of state. The pair sued the secretary of state at the time, now-Gov. Katie Hobbs, and the boards of supervisors for Maricopa and Pima counties.
Their complaint demanded that electronic voting machines not be used without making the system open to the public and subjecting it to security vetting.
Arizona District Court Judge John Tuchi dismissed the case several months later in August 2022, then fined Parker and the rest of Lake’s legal team for frivolous claims in 2023. Tuchi accused Parker and the rest of Lake’s legal team of acting recklessly. Tuchi said in the latter ruling that non-excessive sanctions were necessary consequences to deter claims lacking adequate factual or legal basis.
“Failing to impose meaningful sanctions here might very well encourage others to follow suit by lending their credibility to documents filed in court without facing any real consequence if their certifications prove hollow or incomplete,” said Tuchi. “Further, any monetary sanction imposed should not be so significant as to dissuade other legal experts from providing advice or assistance in litigation out of fear of sanctions, provided they abide by the requirements of the rules in signing filings and entering appearances in those matters.”
Lake and Finchem continued fighting for the case through the appeals system; it went all the way to the Supreme Court, but they declined to take up the case.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the sanctions last year.
Lake’s attorney argued in filings that the sanctions were punishment for “politically disfavored litigation” and would stymie “creative, aggressive, or novel claims and arguments,” especially in cases where the judge may have opposing political views.
An opposition brief filed by counsel for Maricopa County rejected that argument.
“The district court sanctioned Petitioners because they lied to the court,” stated the county’s counsel. “Their filings made ‘false, misleading, and unsupported factual assertions’; ‘their claims for relief did not have an adequate factual or legal basis grounded in a reasonable prefiling inquiry’ in violation of Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure; and, they ‘acted at least recklessly in unreasonably and vexatiously multiplying the proceedings by seeking a preliminary injunction based on Plaintiffs’ frivolous claims, in violation of 28 U.S.C. §1927.’”
Thomas Galvin, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, said the Supreme Court’s decision was good news for voters.
“The Supreme Court declined certiorari in the sanctions case from Lake/Finchem,” said Galvin. “The BOS continues to stand up for election integrity.”
Another win for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on behalf of YOU, the voter. Per @Law360, the BOS got a win at SCOTUS today. The Supreme Court declined certiorari in the sanctions case from Lake/Finchem. The BOS continues to stand up for election integrity. pic.twitter.com/ecF01FRYtQ
— Thomas Galvin: Maricopa County Brd of Supervisors (@ThomasGalvin) October 13, 2026
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
A resurfaced 2009 interview in which Kris Mayes suggested water prices might need to rise has drawn criticism from Republican attorney general candidate Warren Petersen. Public relations consultant Stacey Champion responded by highlighting Mayes’ recent efforts to challenge utility rate increases.
During the 2009 Arizona PBS “Horizon” discussion, Mayes, then chairman of the Arizona Corporation Commission, said higher water prices could reduce consumption and the energy needed to pump water. She appeared alongside Arizona Investment Council President Gary Yaquinto and Arizona State University professor Mike Pasqualetti.
Public records researcher Brian Anderson circulated an excerpt on X, accusing Mayes of admitting that she deliberately increased water bills to combat global warming. The exchange does not identify a specific rate increase approved by Mayes or establish that stated motive.
INSANE VIDEO: @KrisMayes admits to hiking your water bills on purpose to stop global warming
"When it increases in price—the water—and people use less of it … that's a good thing … I think we can all come together around this idea that maybe the price needs to go up." #AZAGpic.twitter.com/0hytB0e1kV
Petersen shared the clip, writing, “I disagree with Mayes. I think your utility prices should go down, not up.”
In the recorded interview, Mayes explained the relationship between water prices, consumption, and the energy needed to deliver water.
“As it increases in price, what happens to energy? Well, what happens to energy is, well, when it increases in price, the water, and people use less of it, then we use less energy to pump that water. And so that’s a good thing,” Mayes said.
She then called for changing how Arizonans value water and for utilities to participate in that effort.
“But to Gary’s point, you know, we do need to value water differently. And I think Arizonans are ready to do that. I think Arizonans are ready to step up. But our utilities, and, you know, water companies, electric companies, natural gas companies, they need to step up too,” she said.
Mayes proposed a statewide discussion about resource consumption and prices.
“We need a statewide effort on both of these issues. And I think we need a statewide, frankly, marketing campaign around this to generate a dialogue, you know, about how we use our energy and how we use our water. And then I think we can all come together around this idea that maybe the price needs to go up.”
Champion responded on X, accusing Petersen and his allies of misrepresenting Mayes’ record.
“The lying & spinning from Weasley Warren & his team of misfits is just gross,” Champion wrote. “Want to pay exorbitant utility bills? Vote R. Lower bills? Vote D.”
Champion attached screenshots of six announcements from Mayes’ office concerning utility rates and data centers. The headlines included efforts to reduce proposed APS and Tucson Electric Power rate increases, challenges involving two water utilities, a proposed statewide pause on data center development, and a request to investigate whether APS customers subsidized large energy users.
Champion’s post highlighted Mayes’ subsequent positions on utility costs. However, it did not dispute the words Mayes used in the 2009 interview.
The original pricing discussion followed host Ted Simons’ question about whether Arizona’s era of inexpensive water was ending.
Yaquinto said water had been undervalued and argued that higher prices could encourage more efficient consumption. He also emphasized affordable access for families.
“I think it’s important that because it is an essential commodity for life, and everybody needs water to live and survive, there has to be some water made available to families on a low-cost basis,” Yaquinto said. “But if you’re a high user, I think that it’s now time for us to begin valuing and pricing the water properly.”
Later in the discussion, Mayes pointed to differences in water costs across Arizona. “We see places in Arizona where the cost of water is $10 a month. Crazy low,” she said.
Mayes also called for utilities to provide customers with conservation and energy-efficiency measures.
“What I would say is, if we give the tools to people that allow them to conserve, I think people do conserve,” she said.
The broader interview examined the water requirements of electricity generation and the implications of building power plants in an arid state. Mayes said the commission was considering water consumption as part of utilities’ long-term resource planning.
The Arizona Republican Party has asked Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell to investigate whether Democratic legislative candidate and former Scottsdale Councilwoman Tammy Caputi misrepresented her residence in voter registration and candidate filings.
AZGOP Chairman Sergio Arellano alleged that Caputi used a Scottsdale condominium address to establish residency in Legislative District 4 without actually living there. The party requested an investigation into possible election law violations, forgery, and perjury.
“These allegations warrant a thorough investigation. I have asked County Attorney Mitchell to review the evidence and determine whether any laws were violated,” Arellano said. “I have confidence that her office will take these concerns seriously and ensure that Arizona’s election laws are enforced.”
The party’s announcement describes a request for an investigation but does not indicate that prosecutors have decided to file charges or opened an investigation.
Caputi has previously defended her residency. In statements reported by KJZZ, she said she moved into the condominium in July 2025 and has lived there since. She described the owner as a longtime friend who offered her an opportunity to rent during changing family circumstances.
“I understand that running for public office comes with scrutiny, and I welcome legitimate questions about my residency,” Caputi said. She also asked that her family’s circumstances remain private and criticized Republicans for using them politically.
The Arizona Republicreported that photographs it obtained showed the condominium with little furniture and few indications of occupancy. The party also questioned whether utility accounts were in Caputi’s name.
Arellano contended that the circumstances warranted scrutiny of the residence Caputi reported on official documents.
KJZZ reported that the condominium belongs to Nestor and Suzanne Guzman, who each contributed $5,500 to Caputi’s campaign. The outlet said the property’s sale listing was removed Oct. 2, the day the Republic published its reporting.
KJZZ also reported that Caputi still owns the north Scottsdale home she listed during her 2024 City Council campaign. That property falls within Legislative District 3.
Arizona’s voter qualification statute, defines residency as actual physical presence combined with an intent to remain. For a political subdivision, the physical presence must be within that subdivision. The statute also provides that a temporary absence does not end residency when the person intends to return and that an individual has only one residence for election law purposes.
Under A.R.S. § 16-311, candidates for state legislative office must be qualified electors and reside in the district they seek to represent when filing. Nomination papers must provide the candidate’s actual residence address, subject to specified exceptions.
Caputi and Democrat Karen Gresham are challenging Republican Reps. Matt Gress and Pamela Carter for the district’s two House seats.
On the 85th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, federal officials will initiate the identification and return of remains belonging to World War II service members killed aboard the USS Arizona.
The Department of Defense (DOD) will begin exhuming 277 of the sailors and Marines who lost their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. As part of the disinterment, the DOD will undertake forensic efforts to identify 86 of the service members whose identities remain unknown to this day.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) will use DNA analysis to match the remains to family members. DPAA will disinter eight caskets to start, then proceed at a pace of around eight caskets every two to three weeks until all the remains of the 86 unknown service members are disinterred.
More than 700 family members of the USS Arizona’s fallen are anticipated to be present for a ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam following the first disinterment on December 7 at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, per reporting from the Stars and Stripes.
The disinterment almost didn’t happen. A report by the Navy submitted to Congress in 2022 advised that it would take about a decade and $2.7 million to obtain familial DNA for identification efforts. The federal government determined such an undertaking would be too costly and require too much manpower.
DPAA needed a 60% threshold of DNA Family Reference Samples — family representation for 643 crew members — to proceed with the disinterment and identification process.
Kevin Kline, whose great-uncle Robert Edward Kline was among the service members killed aboard the USS Arizona, launched Operation 85 in 2023 to collect those samples. Kline reportedly spent nearly $150,000 of his own money to fund the costs to obtain them, and successfully made the organization an official partner of DPAA.
In April, DPAA announced that Kline and Operation 85 successfully reached the required 60% threshold, having obtained 653 DNA kits.
The 277 buried in Hawaii outside the ship represent nearly a quarter of the lives lost on the ship that day.
Just before 8 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, Japan attacked the Pearl Harbor naval base. More than 350 Japanese aircraft bombed U.S. vessels, the USS Arizona among them. The battleship exploded and sank, then burned for more than two days. The USS Arizona had 334 survivors: 319 from the Navy, and 15 from the Marines.
1,177 from the USS Arizona perished, representing nearly half of the 2,403 service members killed at Pearl Harbor. More than 900 of the 1,177 have the sunken battleship at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial as their final resting place.
DPAA recently reached a record milestone of 250 identifications of unaccounted-for service members. The 250th service member to be identified was U.S. Army Captain Albert Wilcox, a prisoner of war killed aboard a Japanese troop and prisoner transport ship that was sunk by Allied aircraft in the final months of World War II.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
The city of Phoenix is operating a program to investigate federal agencies under President Donald Trump, according to public records.
The city publicly promotes its Community Transparency Initiative (CTI) as a complaint intake system and informational resource for the public on immigration matters.
However, records obtained by Judicial Watch reflect that the city of Phoenix tasks its employees and law enforcement with documenting, reporting, and investigating more than just federal immigration officials.
CTI, developed through the Office of Transparency and Accountability (OAT), was initially developed to take in reports and complaints concerning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel.
The city’s employee training materials reveal that CTI has a much larger scope of oversight beyond ICE to include more federal agencies. City employees are trained to document and report all encounters involving federal law enforcement personnel. They are also trained to maintain records of time and resources devoted to work done concerning CTI.
Agencies under city of Phoenix employees’ purview were indicated to include the Federal Bureau of Investigation; United States Secret Service; Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; United States Postal Inspection Service; Border Patrol; Drug Enforcement Agency; United States Marshals Service; Federal Air Marshal Service; Federal Protective Service; Capitol Police; and the Transportation Security Administration.
Under CTI, the Phoenix Police Department uses its Special Investigations Division to review CTI complaints, investigate for criminal or civil rights violations, and pass along findings to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. Both the police and fire departments have been involved in implementing CTI.
The initiative also connects residents with multiple progressive nonprofit organizations: the national and Arizona chapter of the ACLU, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, National Immigration Law Center, Informed Immigrant, Florence Project, International Rescue Committee, Phoenix Legal Action Network, and the Immigrant Advocacy Network.
CTI also refers residents to its Office of Refugee and Immigrant Support, established in March 2023 amid the height of the illegal immigration crisis under former President Joe Biden. The office provides refugees and asylum seekers with integration services, including access to healthcare, housing, childcare, education, and employment.
Around the same time in 2023, Gov. Katie Hobbs’ administration allocated $60 million to house, feed, and provide other resources to the homeless and illegal immigrants. $13 million went to the city of Phoenix.
In recent years, the city spent around $8 million of its $396 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds on refugee and immigrant services.
In early March of this year, the city authorized spending up to $500,000 through June 2028 for legal counsel through Coppersmith Brockelman PLC, a favorite law firm among top Democrats such as Gov. Katie Hobbs, though the CTI website and later reporting stated that the city spent $1 million to hire the firm. Sam Coppersmith, a managing partner to the firm, was formerly a Democratic congressman for the 1st Congressional District and a chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party.
Judicial Watch didn’t receive any records confirming that the city formally considered any other law firms to provide outside legal counsel for CTI.
Following this authorization for outside legal counsel, the city passed a policy banning ICE enforcement operations from city-owned property. Mayes later issued a defense of the city’s action.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Arizona Public Service (APS) customers will receive a one-time credit on their November electric bills following a unanimous vote by the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) to return approximately $33.6 million in renewable energy funds to ratepayers.
The Commission approved the credit during its October 8, 2026 open meeting, with the average residential customer expected to save approximately $14.70 through a combination of the bill credit and a temporary suspension of the utility’s monthly Renewable Energy Adjustment Charge (REAC).
ACC Approves Bill Credit for APS customers: For residential customers, the average bill credit amounts to approximately $15. The one-time credit will appear on customers' November 2026 electricity bill. For more info, go tohttps://t.co/MQuGuKp4jGpic.twitter.com/ZkNveyoNac
— Arizona Corporation Commission (@CorpCommAZ) October 8, 2026
The REAC, which appears on residential electric bills as an “Environmental Benefits Surcharge,” currently costs the average residential customer approximately $2.49 per month. APS customers will not be charged the surcharge on their November statements.
The refund is partially attributed to the Green Power Partners program, which allows commercial and industrial customers to voluntarily purchase renewable energy credits (RECs) from the utility
On February 4, 2026, the Commission unanimously approved an expansion of the program, projected to save APS ratepayers approximately $30 million in 2026.
Proceeds from the program have contributed to an approximately $33.6 million uncommitted balance in the utility’s Renewable Energy Adjustment Charge fund, helping make the November bill credit possible.
“I was pleased to vote and approve a bill credit to APS customers for the month of November,” stated Chairman Nick Myers. “Our Commission approved Green Power Partners program, in which commercial and industrial customers voluntarily purchase RECs from APS, has resulted in over $33 million for APS customers.”
Myers also credited the Commission’s efforts to repeal the state’s Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff (REST) rules and permit APS to sell renewable energy credits for making the refund possible.
Commissioner Lea Márquez Peterson welcomed the decision, emphasizing the financial relief it could provide to Arizona households following the summer months.
“This comes at a good time for residential customers who saw higher bills due to increased usage during the hot summer months,” stated Márquez Peterson. “I was happy to support the credit on APS customer’s bills today during our ACC meeting.”
Commissioner René Lopez similarly praised the decision, stating that recent Commission actions have helped return approximately $33.6 million to APS ratepayers.
Vice Chair Rachel Walden pointed to the Commission’s previous renewable energy requirements, arguing that the rules imposed additional costs on utility customers.
Walden noted that the Commission had voted to repeal the REST rules, which required utilities to meet renewable energy standards, but that the repeal has faced a legal challenge from the Arizona Attorney General.
“APS was able to monetize some Renewable Energy Credits under their Green Power Partners program, and those proceeds are what are being used to provide this one-time relief to customers,” stated Walden.
Commissioner Kevin Thompson also supported the decision, emphasizing the importance of reducing costs for utility customers.
“Any time the Commission and our utilities can act to save ratepayers money it’s a good day,” said Thompson
The November credit will be applied as a one-time adjustment, with the REAC returning to its previously approved rate beginning December 1, 2026.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
