House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is under fire and facing a potential lawsuit for what Arizona’s top legal official calls a blatant obstruction of democracy.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes on Tuesday issued a blistering letter to Johnson, accusing him of stonewalling the swearing-in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat who won a special election to replace her late father, Rep. Raúl Grijalva. The elder Grijalva passed away earlier this year following a battle with cancer. His daughter’s win in late September gave Democrats another critical seat in a razor-thin Republican-controlled House — and now, GOP leadership is accused of dragging their feet to keep it that way.
“Arizona’s right to a full delegation, and the right of the residents of CD 7 to representation from the person they recently voted for, are not up for debate and may not be delayed or used as leverage in negotiations about unrelated legislation,” Mayes warned in her letter, as first reported by Politico.
Mayes didn’t mince words, accusing Johnson and Republican leaders of holding up Grijalva’s swearing-in to gain leverage during the ongoing government shutdown negotiations. According to her, it’s not just politics — it’s unlawful.
She called the delay “a bargaining chip” and made it clear she’s ready to take the fight to court. “We are exploring every option open to us, including litigation,” Mayes wrote.
The stakes are higher than just one seat. Democrats argue Johnson is playing hardball to avoid a vote that could expose more about the federal government’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Grijalva’s swearing-in would give them just enough votes to force a floor vote on the release of key Epstein investigation files — a vote Republicans have so far avoided like the plague.
With the House already deep in crisis mode over the shutdown, Johnson’s move to delay seating a duly elected member is drawing backlash not just from Arizona but across the aisle. Critics say it’s another sign that the Speaker is letting political calculation override democratic norms.
Meanwhile, constituents in Arizona’s 7th District are left with no representation — a fact Mayes says she’s not letting slide. “This is not a procedural delay,” one Arizona Democrat close to the matter told Politico. “It’s an outright refusal to follow the Constitution.”
The longer Johnson stalls, the louder the calls for legal intervention — and the more glaring the optics of trying to silence a representative before she even takes the oath.
