Supreme Court Upholds Legal Fees for Arizona Election Lawsuit

Supreme Court rejects appeal to dismiss $122K in legal fees from Arizona election lawsuit. Key facts and context.

October 14, 2026 One Min Read

POLICY WIRE — Phoenix, United States — The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to overturn a decision requiring attorneys who represented former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake to pay $122,000 in legal fees for their role in a failed lawsuit seeking a hand-count of ballots in the 2022 midterm elections.

The case centered on a lawsuit filed by Lake and state lawmaker Mark Finchem that aimed to ban electronic voting machines. A judge dismissed the suit, citing lack of standing and that it was filed too close to the election. The court found the lawyers acted recklessly by making unfounded claims without proper research.

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The requirement to pay the fees applies only to the lawyers, not to Lake or Finchem. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had previously upheld the decision. The Associated Press reached out to Andrew D. Parker, the attorney representing Lake, but did not receive a response.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)

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