U.S. Supreme Court Dismisses Kari Lake and Mark Finchem's Lawsuit Challenging Arizona's Electronic Voting Machines

The U.S. Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Kari Lake and Mark Finchem challenging the use of electronic voting machines in Arizona. The lawsuit, originally filed two years ago, was rejected by the Supreme Court without comment, a common practice indicating agreement with the lower court rulings that found the lawsuit lacked legal merit.

Lake and Finchem, who were the unsuccessful Republican nominees for Arizona governor and secretary of state in 2022, respectively, had claimed that the electronic voting machines used in Maricopa and Pima counties were susceptible to hacking. However, two lower courts previously dismissed the case, citing a lack of standing and failure to provide evidence of widespread voter fraud.

The lawsuit largely relied on testimony from Donald Trump supporters who led a discredited review of the election in Maricopa County. Lake and Finchem had echoed former President Trump's baseless allegations about the security of vote-counting machines, despite admitting they had no evidence of past hacking or fraud.

Why this matters: The Supreme Court's dismissal of the case is seen as a setback to the efforts to cast doubt on the integrity of Arizona's elections and marks the end of the attempt to require a hand count of ballots in the state.

Arizona election officials welcomed the Supreme Court's decision, with a spokesperson stating, "This decision highlights the inability of election deniers to produce legitimate arguments against the state's elections system." The dismissal of the lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal defeats for Lake, who is also running for U.S. Senate.

The U.S. District Judge had previously ruled that Lake and Finchem lacked standing to sue, and their attorneys were sanctioned for bringing a claim based on frivolous information. The Supreme Court's decision not to take up the case effectively puts an end to the legal challenge against Arizona's electronic voting machines.

Key Takeaways

• Supreme Court dismissed lawsuit by Kari Lake and Mark Finchem challenging Arizona's e-voting machines.
• Lower courts previously dismissed the case, citing lack of standing and evidence of voter fraud.
• Lawsuit relied on testimony from Trump supporters, despite admitting no evidence of past hacking or fraud.
• Supreme Court's decision marks the end of the attempt to require a hand count of ballots in Arizona.
• The dismissal is the latest legal defeat for Kari Lake, who is also running for U.S. Senate.