US judge denies request to sanction Republican governor candidate

A United States judge has denied a request to sanction Kari Lake, the Republican candidate in Arizona’s gubernatorial race, over allegations she made when questioning the legitimacy of the state election.

But on Tuesday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson did rule that Lake would be responsible for paying more than $33,000 to her rival, Democrat Katie Hobbs, for expenses incurred through expert witnesses and ballot inspections.

The decision comes days after Thompson threw out a lawsuit that Lake filed to contest her narrow defeat in November’s race for governor. Hobbs prevailed in that election by about 17,000 votes in a state that counts more than 4 million registered voters.

Tuesday’s decision comes after Hobbs filed a motion to sanction Lake, a vocal election denier, for claims she described as “groundless and not made in good faith”.

Hobbs sought a financial penalty of approximately $695,000 to cover lawyers’ fees and other expenses, both in her capacity as governor-elect and as Arizona’s current secretary of state, a role responsible for overseeing elections.

But Judge Thompson rejected the thrust of Hobbs’s argument. The fact that Lake “failed to meet the burden of clear and convincing evidence” did not mean that her claims “were, or were not, groundless and presented in bad faith”, he concluded.

“There is no doubt that each side believes firmly in its position with great conviction,” Thompson wrote in his ruling.

Lake, a former television personality, was a political newcomer when she announced her campaign for governor of Arizona, an increasingly competitive swing state. She was part of a slate of candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump to run in November’s midterm elections.