Lawyers Representing Kari Lake Facing Discipline in Arizona Court
Presiding Disciplinary Judge Margaret Downie has found that the lawyers representing Republican Kari Lake violated their ethical obligations during the election challenge trial. The lawyers, Kurt Olsen and Bryan Blehm, submitted false information to the Arizona Supreme Court, claiming that over 35,000 illegal ballots were inserted in the general election in Maricopa County.
Violation of Ethical Obligations
The lawyers were ordered by the state’s high court last year to pay $2,000 in sanctions for making false factual statements during the appeals of Lake’s election challenges. Moreover, Olsen faces the possibility of additional discipline for his part in another Lake lawsuit filed in Spring 2022. The lawsuit aimed to stop Maricopa and Pima counties from using electronic tabulators to count ballots in the November 2022 election.
The Senate’s Audit
Olsen used the Senate’s “audit” as proof-of-concept for hand-counting ballots, claiming it was a superior alternative to electronic voting. But the Senate’s audit was problematic and caused more harm than good. The Cyber Ninjas, the firm that conducted the audit, counted only two contests. Furthermore, it took them more than three months, cost millions of dollars and resulted in botched numbers.
Disciplinary Action
The State Bar of Arizona has begun investigations on Olsen, Blehm, and Minnesota attorney Andrew Parker for violating their ethical obligations as attorneys in the state. Olsen attempted to subpoena evidence from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and the Arizona Senate. The Bar has asked Judge Downie to consider Olsen’s misrepresentation of the facts of the case and the law to the district court. Downie issued a partial judgment in April 2024 with a hearing for Olsen and the Bar scheduled for July 30.
Conclusion
The lawyers representing Kari Lake, Kurt Olsen, and Bryan Blehm face court discipline for violating their ethical obligations. They claimed that over 35,000 illegal ballots were inserted into the count in the 2022 general election in Maricopa County, but provided no evidence for their claim. Olsen now faces the possibility of additional discipline for his part in Lake’s lawsuit to stop Maricopa and Pima counties from using electronic tabulators to count ballots in the 2022 election.
Originally Post From https://azmirror.com/2024/06/03/kari-lake-lawyers-await-discipline-for-making-false-claims-to-az-supreme-court/
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