Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has taken legal action against House Speaker Mike Johnson for refusing to swear in Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won her special election nearly a month ago. The lawsuit claims the delay leaves more than 813,000 residents of Arizona’s 7th District without representation in Congress.
“Speaker Mike Johnson is actively stripping the people of Arizona of one of their seats in Congress and disenfranchising the voters of Arizona’s seventh Congressional district in the process,” Mayes said in a statement. “By blocking Adelita Grijalva from taking her rightful oath of office, he is subjecting Arizona’s seventh Congressional district to taxation without representation.”
Speaker Johnson responded by calling the lawsuit “patently absurd” and argued that Mayes has “no jurisdiction.” He insists the delay is due to the ongoing government shutdown, stating that he will swear in Grijalva when Congress returns to session.
However, House Democrats argue there’s more to the delay. Once sworn in, Grijalva is expected to become the critical 218th signature on a discharge petition that could force a vote to release all Department of Justice files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Johnson denies the delay has anything to do with the Epstein issue.
Grijalva, daughter of the late Congressman Raúl Grijalva, says she’s ready to serve.
“There is so much that cannot be done until I am sworn in,” she said. Meanwhile, Democrats accuse Johnson of playing politics to stall a vote that could expose sensitive documents.
The court filing asks a judge to declare Grijalva a House member and, if necessary, authorize someone else to administer the oath if Johnson continues to hold out.
