Arizona Sues Over Delay in Swearing In Congresswoman-Elect

The state of Arizona has filed a lawsuit against House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, regarding the hold-up in swearing in Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat from Arizona.

Arizona Attorney General Chris Mays expressed that Johnson is effectively denying Arizonans representation in Congress. He stated, “By not allowing Adelita Grijalva to take the oath of office, we are taxing Arizona’s 7th Congressional District without proper representation.” Mays added that he will not permit voters to be silenced or treated as second-class citizens within their own democracy.

This week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson dismissed the legal threat, calling it a bid for “national publicity.”

Grijalva won a special election on September 23 to succeed her father, the late Rep. Raul Grijalva, who passed away from cancer at the age of 77.

In response to the situation, Johnson has stated that Grijalva will be sworn in once the House resumes regular session, though it’s unclear when this will occur. House Republican leaders are contemplating barring congressional members from Washington, D.C., until the ongoing government shutdown is resolved. This tactic is aimed at pressuring Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, to back a Republican proposal to fund the federal government until November 21.

So far, Schumer and his Democratic allies have resisted, rejecting 11 Republican-led bills and continuing the government shutdown for over three weeks.

House Democrats have accused Johnson of politicizing the issue and effectively preventing Grijalva from representing her constituents. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries noted that with Republicans currently on a four-week recess, they have failed to swear in Grijalva for an extended period, thus denying over 100,000 Arizonans the representation they deserve.

Johnson, in response to Democratic criticism, has emphasized that the House was not in session when Grijalva was elected, pointing out that the precedent for such a delay was set by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who took 25 days to swear in Rep. Julia Letlow in 2021 after her husband’s passing.

Johnson expressed his hope to administer the oath as soon as the House reconvenes. However, Grijalva has argued that she cannot execute her legislative duties without being sworn in, a point that Johnson and the Republicans dispute.

The delay in swearing her in is particularly significant in the context of ongoing efforts related to documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein. Once Grijalva takes her oath, she is expected to play an instrumental role in lobbying for the release of these documents held by the Department of Justice.

Should the measure known as an “exclusion petition” be introduced when Grijalva takes office, Johnson indicated he wouldn’t oppose it. This process might limit House leaders from progressing on specific bills, provided a majority of members sign it.

While Johnson and House leaders have criticized this measure as unnecessary and politically driven, he mentioned he would not obstruct the bill during the full House session once Grijalva is sworn in.