Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. House of Representatives, claiming House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has refused to seat a newly elected member of Congress from Arizona. Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., won a special election in late September to fill her father’s vacated seat after he died in March.
“This case is about whether someone duly elected to the House – who indisputably meets the constitutional qualifications of the office – may be denied her rightful office simply because the Speaker has decided to keep the House out of ‘regular session,’” Mayes wrote in the complaint filed in D.C. federal court.
While the U.S. government is in the middle of a shutdown that began Oct. 1, Johnson has said Grijalva will be sworn in when the House returns for regular sessions.
Johnson cites ‘Pelosi precedent,’ dismisses lawsuit
Johnson has said he is “following the Pelosi precedent,” referring to former Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi waiting 25 days to swear in newly-elected Republican Julia Letlow in 2021 while lawmakers were in recess.
A reporter on Capitol Hill asked Johnson if he had a response to the lawsuit.
“I think it’s patently absurd. We run the House. She has no jurisdiction. We’re following the precedent,” Johnson said while speaking about Mayes. “She’s looking for national publicity. Apparently, she’s gotten some of it, but good luck with that.”
Lawsuit alleges political motives behind delay
The lawsuit claims Johnson is intentionally delaying the swearing-in of Grijalva to stop a vote that would force the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents.
“I’m proud to join Attorney General Mayes in standing up for the more than 800,000 Arizonans who have been stripped of their voice in Congress,” Grijalva said in a statement. “Speaker Johnson cannot continue to disenfranchise an entire district and suppress their representation to shield this administration from accountability and block justice for the Epstein survivors.”
The lawsuit also argues that by keeping Grijalva’s seat empty, Johnson is denying the right of the people of her district to be represented in Congress.
“Defendants’ refusal to promptly seat Ms. Grijalva, and to treat her as a member of the House, likewise injures the State of Arizona, which is denied the number of Representatives provided for by law,” the lawsuit states.
Attorney General Mayes is asking a judge to rule that if Speaker Johnson won’t swear in Grijalva, then someone else with legal authority should be allowed to do it so Grijalva can still take office. According to CNN, Grijalva says she is trying to meet with Speaker Johnson before leaving Washington on Thursday.
