Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is appealing a judge’s dismissal of charges brought against Trump 2020 alternate electors, a move now drawing scrutiny as the appeal is being overseen by Judge Andrew Jacobs—an appointee of Gov. Katie Hobbs and a political donor to Mayes’ 2022 campaign. Jacobs made his first contribution to Mayes just days after she publicly pledged to investigate the alternate electors.
The high-profile case has been mired in controversy from the start. It was reportedly developed nearly a year before charges were filed, with help from a left-leaning legal group. One judge previously recused himself after revelations he had made racially charged remarks, disparaged white men, demanded support for Kamala Harris, and likened Harris’ conservative critics to Nazis.
In April, 18 individuals—including alternate electors, GOP lawmakers, and former Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward—were indicted by a state grand jury for their efforts to contest the 2020 election “results.” Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Christina Bobb, John Eastman, and Trump’s former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows were also charged with felonies.
Mayes’ case suffered a major blow when a judge dismissed the charges, ruling they were politically driven and violated Arizona’s anti-SLAPP statute, which is meant to prevent legal harassment over political expression.
