Supreme Court refuses to toss out fees for lawyers who sought hand count in Arizona election

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to overturn a $122,000 legal bill incurred by lawyers who represented former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake in a lawsuit demanding a hand-count of all 2022 election ballots. The court's decision comes after lawyers Andrew D. Parker and the state lawmaker Mark Finchem sought to require a manual recount, which was later dismissed by a judge for lacking standing and being filed too close to the election.

The lawsuit, which aimed to ban electronic tabulation devices, was originally filed by Lake and Finchem, who both lost their respective races to Democrats Katie Hobbs and Andrian Fontes. Maricopa County claimed the lawyers' actions were reckless and they disregarded a warning about false allegations in their lawsuit. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected appeals against the dismissal and the legal fees. The court's ruling leaves Lake and Finchem responsible for the $122,000 legal costs.