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kris mayes
Adelita Grijalva and Arizona AG Sue Over 'Speaker Johnson's Obstruction'
"The voters of southern Arizona made their choice, yet for four weeks, he has refused to seat a duly elected member of Congress—denying Southern Arizona its constitutional representation," said the rep.-elect.
Oct 21, 2025
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva filed a highly anticipated federal lawsuit on Tuesday over Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson's refusal to administer the oath of office for nearly a month.
"On September 23, 2025, the voters in Arizona's 7th Congressional District elected Adelita Grijalva to serve as their representative in the House, with 68.94% of the vote," notes the complaint, filed in a the district court in Washington, DC. "The election was canvassed and the certificate of election delivered to the House on October 14, 2025."
Grijalva's victory in the special election for her late father's seat came shortly before a government shutdown. Johnson (La.) has used the ongoing shutdown as an excuse and denied that he is intentionally delaying her oath to avoid a vote on releasing files about deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a former friend of President Donald Trump.
"Speaker Mike Johnson is actively stripping the people of Arizona of one of their seats in Congress and disenfranchising the voters of Arizona's 7th Congressional District in the process," Mayes—who had threatened legal action last week—said Tuesday. "By blocking Adelita Grijalva from taking her rightful oath of office, he is subjecting Arizona's 7th Congressional District to taxation without representation. I will not allow Arizonans to be silenced or treated as second-class citizens in their own democracy."
The court filing came a day after Johnson publicly suggested he would swear in Grijalva as soon as the shutdown ends, and fired back at her for repeatedly calling him out on social media. The speaker said that "instead of doing TikTok videos, she should be serving her constituents," even though she lacks the resources to do so, because she hasn't yet taken the oath of office.
"I don't have constituents until I'm sworn in," Grijalva told the Associated Press before the suit was filed, noting that the delay means she can't sign a lease on office space in her district.
After the filing, she said in a statement that "Speaker Johnson's obstruction has gone far beyond petty partisan politics—it's an unlawful breach of our Constitution and the democratic process. The voters of Southern Arizona made their choice, yet for four weeks, he has refused to seat a duly elected member of Congress—denying Southern Arizona its constitutional representation."
"I'm proud to join Attorney General Mayes in standing up for the more than 800,000 Arizonans who have been stripped of their voice in Congress," Grijalva added. "Speaker Johnson cannot continue to disenfranchise an entire district and suppress their representation to shield this administration from accountability and block justice for the Epstein survivors."
Welcoming the suit, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said that Mayes "isn't playing around. She just filed a lawsuit against pedo protector Mike! Maybe now he'll stop covering for predators and start giving the people of AZ-07 a voice in Congress."
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Arizona AG Threatens Legal Action Against Mike Johnson for 'Egregious' Refusal to Seat Grijalva
"With the House in possession of the certificate of election," Kris Mayes noted, "it is now a simple ministerial duty to administer the oath of office."
Oct 14, 2025
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes sent a letter to US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Tuesday, threatening to "seek judicial relief" if the Louisiana Republican does not immediately swear in Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva or "otherwise provide a reasonable explanation as to when she will be seated."
Grijalva won the special election for her late father's seat in Arizona's 7th District last month, before the ongoing federal government shutdown. Democrats in Congress and other critics have accused Johnson of dragging his feet because she is a key vote to make the US Department of Justice release files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a former friend of President Donald Trump. Although the speaker denied that claim a week ago, he has still declined to swear her in.
"The House of Representatives' uniquely democratic function makes frustrating the will of the voters in selecting their representative particularly egregious," Mayes wrote to Johnson, highlighting that Grijalva "was elected with nearly 70% of the vote, and unofficial results were provided to you by the Arizona secretary of state."
"Grijalva and the state expected that you would follow your usual practice and swear her into office at the earliest opportunity, just as you had done with five previous members elected in special elections," she continued, pointing to Reps. Celeste Maloy (R-Utah), Vince Fong (R-Calif.), Jimmy Patronis (R-Fla.), Randy Fine (R-Fla.), and James Walkinshaw (D-Va.).
Shortly after the letter was sent on Tuesday, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes completed the canvas, and Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs transmitted a certificate of election. As Mayes explained, that means "Grijalva no longer needs a House resolution to be sworn into office. With the House in possession of the certificate of election, it is now a simple ministerial duty to administer the oath of office."
The attorney general noted that Johnson and his staff "have provided ever-shifting, unsatisfactory, and sometimes absurd stories as to why Ms. Grijalva has not been sworn in. In a particularly worrisome comment, an aide connected the swearing-in and admission to the ongoing budget fight, suggesting that the House is trying to use Arizona's constitutional right to representation in the House as a bargaining chip."
Mayes is threatening legal action if her office doesn't hear from Johnson within two days. Grijalva welcomed the development, thanking the attorney general, governor, and secretary of state "for standing up for the voices of 800,000+ Arizonans who currently do not have representation in Congress."
Grijlava also shared a video of the event, during which the state's top leaders reiterated their demands of Johnson.
Asked about the Epstein files and Grijlava on Tuesday, the speaker claimed again that not seating her has nothing to do with the files and contended that the delay is due to her winning after the House was out of session. He then, again, blamed Democrats for the shutdown and suggested she won't be seated until it ends.
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'You Don't Thank a Burglar for Returning Your Cash': Trump Admin Finally Releases Education Funds
"This administration deserves no credit for just barely averting a crisis they themselves set in motion," said one Democratic senator.
Jul 25, 2025
While welcoming reporting that the Trump administration will release more than $5 billion in federal funding for schools that it has been withholding for nearly a month, U.S. educators and others said Friday that the funds should never have been held up in the first place and warned that the attempt to do so was just one part of an ongoing campaign to undermine public education.
The Trump administration placed nearly $7 billion in federal education funding for K-12 public schools under review last month, then released $1.3 billion of it last week amid legal action and widespread backlash. An administration official speaking on condition of anonymity told The Washington Post that all reviews of remaining funding are now over.
"There is no good reason for the chaos and stress this president has inflicted on students, teachers, and parents across America for the last month, and it shouldn't take widespread blowback for this administration to do its job and simply get the funding out the door that Congress has delivered to help students," U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said Friday.
"This administration deserves no credit for just barely averting a crisis they themselves set in motion," Murray added. "You don't thank a burglar for returning your cash after you've spent a month figuring out if you'd have to sell your house to make up the difference."
🚨After unlawfully withholding billions in education funding for schools, the Trump Admin. has reversed course.This is a massive victory for students, educators, & families who depend on these essential resources.And it's a testament to public pressure & relentless organizing.
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— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@pressley.house.gov) July 25, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward—which represents plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's funding freeze—said Friday that "if these reports are true, this is a major victory for public education and the communities it serves."
"This news following our legal challenge is a direct result of collective action by educators, families, and advocates across the country," Perryman asserted. "These funds are critical to keeping teachers in classrooms, supporting students in vulnerable conditions, and ensuring schools can offer the programs and services that every child deserves."
"While this development shows that legal and public pressure can make a difference, school districts, parents, and educators should not have to take the administration to court to secure funds for their students," she added. "Our promise to the people remains: We will go to court to protect the rights and well-being of all people living in America."
Democratic Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes—a plaintiff in a separate lawsuit challenging the withholding—attributed the administration's backpedaling to litigatory pressure, arguing that the funding "should never have been withheld in the first place."
They released the 7 B IN SCHOOL FUNDS!! This is a huge win. It means fighting back matters. Fighting for what kids & communities need is always the right thing to do! www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
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— Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten.bsky.social) July 25, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association—the largest U.S. labor union—said in a statement: "Playing games with students' futures has real-world consequences. School districts in every state have been scrambling to figure out how they will continue to meet student needs without this vital federal funding, and many students in parts of the country have already headed back to school. These reckless funding delays have undermined planning, staffing, and support services at a time when schools should be focused on preparing students for success."
"Sadly, this is part of a broader pattern by this administration of undermining public education—starving it of resources, sowing distrust, and pushing privatization at the expense of the nation's most vulnerable students," Pringle added. "And they are doing this at the same time Congress has passed a budget bill that will devastate our students, schools, and communities by slashing funds meant for public education, healthcare, and keeping students from their school meals—all to finance massive tax breaks for billionaires."
While expanding support for private education, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Donald Trump earlier this month weakens public school programs including before- and after-school initiatives and services for English language learners.
"Sadly, this is part of a broader pattern by this administration of undermining public education."
Trump also signed an executive order in March directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin the process of shutting down the Department of Education—a longtime goal of Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation-led roadmap for a far-right takeover and gutting of the federal government closely linked to Trump, despite his unconvincing efforts to distance himself from the highly controversial and unpopular plan.
Earlier this week, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office determined that the U.S. Health and Human Services Department illegally impounded crucial funds from the Head Start program, which provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and other services to low-income families.
"Instead of spending the last many weeks figuring out how to improve after-school options and get our kids' reading and math scores up, because of President Trump, communities across the country have been forced to spend their time cutting back on tutoring options and sorting out how many teachers they will have to lay off," Murray noted.
"It's time for President Trump, Secretary McMahon, and [Office of Management and Budget Director] Russ Vought to stop playing games with students' futures and families' livelihoods—and end their illegal assault on our students and their schools," the senator added.
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