Appeals court orders Arizona Senate audit records released

By BOB CHRISTIE
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Court of Appeals has rejected an effort by the Arizona Senate to keep secret records that are in the possession of the contractors conducting its review of the 2020 election. Thursday’s ruling says the Senate must hand over documents sought by the watchdog group American Oversight about how the recount and audit is being conducted. Republicans who control the Senate argued that because the records are maintained by its contractors, they were not subject to public records law and that legislative immunity applies. But the court says that’s not the case because the contractors performed a core government function that was farmed out.