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Caitlin joined the Arizona Mirror in 2022 with almost 10 years of experience as a reporter and editor, holding local government leaders accountable from newsrooms across the West and Midwest. She's won statewide awards in Nebraska, Indiana and Wisconsin for reporting, photography and commentary.
Lake to appeal again, she isn’t sanctioned but Finchem is
By: Caitlin Sievers - June 6, 2023
Kari Lake has, once again, filed her intent to appeal the outcome of her bid to overturn the results of Arizona’s 2022 gubernatorial election, after it failed in Maricopa County Superior Court. This was the second time that Lake, a Republican who lost by 17,000 votes to Democrat Katie Hobbs, challenged the results of the […]
There is no ‘practice of filming pornography’ in Arizona schools
By: Caitlin Sievers - June 2, 2023
A Republican state senator is urging the Arizona governor to sign a bill that would end the “practice of filming pornography in K-12 schools,” something that is currently not allowed or encouraged at public schools in the state. Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, put out a statement earlier this week asking Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs […]
Chad Campbell, former Dem legislative leader, will be Katie Hobbs’ new chief of staff
By: Caitlin Sievers - May 31, 2023
After several staff shake ups in the past few months, Gov. Katie Hobbs has hired former Arizona House of Representatives Democratic Leader Chad Campbell as her new chief of staff. Campbell is set to begin his work in the governor’s office on Monday. This comes after Hobbs’ former chief of staff, Allie Bones, resigned suddenly […]
Appeals court says some marijuana sales convictions can be expunged
By: Caitlin Sievers - May 30, 2023
Some convictions for marijuana sales are eligible for expungement under Proposition 207, which legalized the drug for adult use, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. “This will allow (people who have been convicted) to mitigate the generational impact of their involvement with the criminal legal system, which affects Black and Brown people and people […]
Attorneys: Alan Dershowitz should have known better
By: Caitlin Sievers - May 26, 2023
Alan Dershowitz, the famed civil liberties attorney, is asking not to be sanctioned alongside other attorneys for Kari Lake and Mark Finchem after he signed onto a lawsuit that the judge called a “frivolous complaint.” Dershowitz claimed during a telephone hearing on Wednesday that he only participated in the case, which aimed to stop Arizona […]
Allie Bones, chief of staff to Katie Hobbs, resigns after less than 5 months on the job
By: Caitlin Sievers - May 25, 2023
Gov. Katie Hobbs’ chief of staff, Allie Bones, has resigned, the governor announced Thursday. Before following Hobbs to the governor’s office, Bones was the assistant secretary of state for the four years that Hobbs was secretary of state. The two have worked together for more than 20 years, after meeting in 2001 when they both […]
Maricopa County: Kari Lake should be sanctioned for lies during election trial
By: Caitlin Sievers - May 24, 2023
Kari Lake and her lawyers repeatedly lied to the court and misrepresented evidence during her election challenge trial last week and should be sanctioned for it, attorneys for Maricopa County wrote in a Tuesday filing. “The misstatements of fact from Lake and her counsel are not a series of mere accidents or zealous advocacy; they […]
Lake’s big ballot chasing announcement is standard for any AZ campaign
By: Caitlin Sievers - May 23, 2023
A day after a judge shot down her challenge to the results of the 2022 governor’s race, Kari Lake called a press conference to make a “big announcement.” But that announcement wasn’t that the failed 2022 Arizona gubernatorial candidate was launching a bid for U.S. Senator or that she’s appealing the case, although she said […]
Kari Lake loses trial to overturn the election, again
By: Caitlin Sievers - May 22, 2023
Democrat Katie Hobbs is still Arizona’s governor, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson ordered Monday evening in a ruling that dismissed Kari Lake’s claim that the 2022 general election was stolen from her through the county’s failure to verify voter signatures. Thompson’s ruling came after a three-day trial last week during which Lake’s lawyers […]
Kari Lake’s high burden of proof is her own doing
By: Caitlin Sievers - May 22, 2023
To win her latest challenge to her 2022 election loss, Kari Lake had what many said was an insurmountable burden: She had to prove that Maricopa County did absolutely no verification of early ballot affidavit signatures. And while some of Lake’s supporters are already blaming the judge in the case for setting such a high […]
Lake election trial ends, judge to decide if she met burden of proof
By: Caitlin Sievers - May 19, 2023
Kari Lake says that Maricopa County didn’t perform signature verification on more than 344,000 early ballots in the 2022 general election. Maricopa County says it did. After the conclusion of a three-day trial, it’s now up to Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson to decide if Lake and her lawyers have proven their case […]
Kari Lake’s lawyers exhibit inexperience with AZ courts and elections laws
By: Caitlin Sievers - May 18, 2023
The second day of Kari Lake’s second trial aiming to overturn the 2022 election was marked by frequent stops for the judge to explain standard court procedures and Arizona and elections laws to Lake’s attorneys. Lake, an election denying Republican, lost the governor’s race more than six months ago to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. But […]