Crunch time for Grijalva lawsuit The fight over swearing in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva is escalating this week- Arizon
Crunch time for Grijalva lawsuit The fight over swearing in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva is escalating this week- Arizona is poised to sue to force Johnson’s hand.
Crunch time for Grijalva lawsuit
https://punchbowl.news/article/house/grijalva-crunch-time/
October 20, 2025
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The Arizona attorney general’s office sent a letter last week demanding Johnson formally seat Grijalva “immediately.” Attorney General Kris Mayes wrote that if the speaker didn’t provide details about plans to swear in Grijalva by the end of last week, “we will be forced to seek judicial relief.”
That deadline has now passed. Mayes’ office didn’t have an update as of publication time, but...
Grijalva won a special election on Sept. 23 to represent the seat long held by her father, the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who died in March. Arizona formally certified the election results on Oct. 14. State officials then began to pursue legal action to force the issue.
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The lawsuit is “a publicity stunt by a Democrat attorney general in Arizona who sees a national moment and wants to call me out,” Johnson told reporters Friday. “[Mayes] has nothing whatsoever to do with what’s happening in Congress.”
Johnson said he’ll allow Grijalva to take the oath of office “as soon as we get back to our regular legislative session, as I’ve said a thousand times.” Johnson called it the “Pelosi precedent,” citing a nearly one-month delay for swearing in Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) after her special election win in 2021.
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Democrats also say the delay for Grijalva is an attempt to avoid a vote on releasing the Justice Department’s Jeffrey Epstein files. Grijalva would be the 218th signature on that discharge petition, which is enough to force a vote. Johnson has denied that it’s a factor............................