US Supreme Court rejects attorney sanctions appeal in Arizona elections case

By David Thomas Oct 13 (Reuters) — The US Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear an appeal by lawyers who were sanctioned over a lawsuit they brought challenging Arizona's voting machines in the run-up to the state's 2022 midterm elections. Andrew Parker and his firm, Minneapolis-based Parker Daniels Kibort, were ordered to pay $122,000 after a judge found they made "baseless" claims in their lawsuit on behalf of Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and former Arizona state representative Mark Finchem. Parker argued in his petition to the Supreme Court that the sanctions could chill lawyers' ability to assert unpopular or difficult claims. "The sanctions in this case have grave implications for our justice system and will deter attorneys from bringing creative, aggressive or novel claims of the sort that are often necessary to shape and reshape our legal landscape," the petition said. Parker and his attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Attorneys and spokespersons for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, whose members were named as defendants in the lawsuit and opposed Parker's petition, also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.