Context:

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes faced a setback as the state Supreme Court denied an appeal in the fake-elector case tied to the 2020 election, effectively keeping the matter alive and heading back toward a grand jury. The case targets Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani and other associates over forged elector certificates. The ruling follows a series of procedural delays and a lower-court finding that the initial grand jury may not have been properly instructed on the relevant law. The decision maintains momentum for pursuing conspiracy, fraud and forgery charges, but the path forward remains uncertain as the case awaits grand jury action and potential further court rulings.

Dive Deeper:

• The Arizona Supreme Court denied the prosecutor's appeal, reinforcing the decision to send the fake-elector case back to a grand jury rather than terminating the prosecution.

• The case implicates former Trump aides and others who submitted or defended a slate of electors claiming Trump won Arizona, amid allegations of forged certificates and related conspiracies.

• A prior Phoenix-area judge had concluded the first grand jury had not been shown the text of the Electoral Count Act, a key legal dispute that defense lawyers argued supported multiple elector slates; the act was later clarified to permit a single slate signed by the governor.

• Defense counsel for Rudy Giuliani characterized the latest ruling as meritless and signaled continued skepticism about proceeding to a grand jury, while acknowledging no immediate trial court movements since mid-2025.

• To date, 18 defendants have faced the case in Arizona, with several having resolved their charges and others pleading not guilty to charges including conspiracy, fraud and forgery; the overall pace has slowed amid multiple dismissal requests.

• The case sits alongside parallel developments in other states and at the federal level, with the fate of related charges remaining unresolved as legal processes unfold.