A new judge was appointed to the 2020 election audit case after judge Christopher Coury recused. Coury, a Republican appointee, was replaced by Daniel Martin, a Democrat appointee. Democrats wanted to stop the audit because of possible results that might not be in their favor.
New judge appointed to the 2020 election audit case
Judge Christopher Coury was replaced by Judge Daniel Martin on April 25, after Coury was left no choice but to recuse the case. The Superior Court of Maricopa County made the last-minute announcement Monday, reported the Epoch Times.
The new judge will be looking out for the legal challenge to a Senate-led audit of votes in Maricopa county, where electoral fraud was reported.
Martin, who was confirmed to the bench by Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano in 2007, is serving in the civil division after being placed in the family, criminal, and juvenile court divisions before.
Martin's previous credentials include the Brown & Bain law firm, which joined with Perkins Coie, mostly manned by Democrats in 2004. Marc Elias, the director at Perkins Coie and the firm's Political Law Group chair, is one of the Democratic party's top lawyers.
In a previous Twitter post, Elias indicated that the Arizona GOP might face "punitive measures" due to a previous lawsuit requesting a hand count audit in Maricopa County.
Judge Coury exempted himself from the case after Chris Viskovic, an attorney with whom he had previously worked, was hired by the Dems to replace the lawyer they had initially tapped. Democrats have been criticized for trying everything to stop the audit. Hiring Viskovic removed an obstacle for them as Coury was a Republican-appointed judge.
Democrats Attempting To Stop Vote Audit Find Way for Judge Coury to Recuse
According to a transcript of the resignation acquired by 12 News, the court got the filings on April 25 at 4 p.m. that included the names of new lawyers, including Viskovic, who worked at Coury's office "as an extern over the last five years."
Viskovic has a position as a junior associate at Kolodin Law Group PLLC, the same law firm tapped by the Florida-based cybersecurity firm Cyber Ninjas in court. Cyber Ninjas is part of the four firms hired by the Arizona senate to make the recount of votes.
Coury must withdraw himself from any further involvement in the case, according to the state's code of judicial ethics and the rules of the Arizona Supreme Court, based on the current recusal.
The audit started last April 19. The state Senate has contracted companies to review 2.1 million ballots, audit voting equipment, look for IT violations, and perform a hand count. All to look for proof that the election was legit.
On February 25, the state-issued subpoenas that were needed for the audit to be determined authentic.
On April 22, Arizona Democrats submitted an emergency call to stop the audit. Coury granted the request the next day, but only on the provision that the group posts a $1 million pledge. Because Democrats declined, the audit continued.
The new judge appointed is not as opposed to the Democrats who called Coury an activist judge. The Dems have place judges who have decided in their favor before.
Arizona Senate Approves Major Audit of 2.1 Million Votes in the 2020 Presidential Election
