The Arizona Supreme Court has reversed a lower court ruling that placed thousands of dollars in sanctions on the state Republican Party for unsuccessfully challenging the results of the 2020 election in Maricopa County.
The court ruled unanimously on Thursday against the court's order holding the state GOP responsible for $27,000 in sanctions and Secretary of State office attorney fees.
"Even if done inadvertently and with the best of intentions, such sanctions present a real and present danger to the rule of law," Justice John Lopez wrote in the court's decision.
The Arizona Republican Party sued Maricopa County after the 2020 election, claiming the county improperly conducted a required hand count of the accuracy of the ballots from sample votes cast at centers open to all county voters, not from precincts.
The county examination revealed that its machine counts were 100% accurate.
The suit was among scores of legal actions that challenged President Joe Biden's win over former President Donald Trump. None were successful.
The state Republican Party praised the ruling, saying it "reaffirms the fundamental legal principle that raising questions about the interpretation and application of election laws is a legitimate use of the judicial system, not a groundless or bad faith action," the Associated Press reported.
The Arizona Supreme Court said it wasn't overturning the dismissal of the case by the lower court, but found it should not have said the case was groundless.
"Petitioning our courts to clarify the meaning and application of our laws ... particularly in the context of our elections is never a threat to the rule of law, even if the claims are charitably characterized as 'long shots,'" the Supreme Court said.
