Finchem sanctioned over ‘baseless’ Arizona election suit

By JONATHAN J. COOPER
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona judge has sanctioned former Republican secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem and his attorney over a lawsuit challenging his loss in last year’s election. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Melissa Julian said in a March 1 ruling that Finchem’s suit “was groundless and not brought in good faith.” Finchem’s lawsuit raised unsupported claims that his loss was marred by misconduct and demanded the results be set aside. He’s refused to concede to Democrat Adrian Fontes, who took office in January. The judge said Finchem must pay the reasonable lawyer fees incurred by the Fontes campaign and by the secretary of state’s office. Finchem did not respond to a request for comment.