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Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has officially filed a lawsuit to get Democratic Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva sworn into the House On Tuesday, Mayes filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., against the House of Representatives on behalf of Grijalva. Speaker Mike Johnson is actively stripping the people of Arizona of one of their seats in Congress and disenfranchising the voters of Arizona’s seventh Congressional district in the process," Mayes said. "By blocking Adelita Grijalva from taking her rightful oath of office, he is subjecting Arizona’s seventh Congressional district to taxation without representation. I will not allow Arizonans to be silenced or treated as second-class citizens in their own democracy." In response to the lawsuit, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters the lawsuit is an attempt for Grijalva to gain "national publicity." I think it’s patently absurd. We run the House. She has no jurisdiction. We’re following the precedent. She’s looking for national publicity, apparently she’s gotten some of it, but good luck with that," Johnson told reporters Tuesday evening. The lawsuit asked a judge to let other people, like federal judges, who are authorized to administer the oath, swear in Grijalva if Johnson has not done so. The delay in swearing in Grijalva leaves over 800,000 people in Arizona's southern district without representation, Mayes said. "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," Grijalva said. 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. 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." In a , Mayes accused Johnson of violating the Constitution over the swearing-in ceremony delay. "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," the letter read. In September, Grijalva won a special election in the state's 7th Congressional District and will replace her late father, former Rep. Raúl Grijalva. Grijalva was welcomed to the U.S. Capitol last month, still being considered a visitor in the building. Ahead of the lawsuit being filed, Grijalva said the delay means she is unable to sign a lease on office space within her district to respond to constituent requests. Speaker Johnson has said Grijalva would be sworn in when the House is back in session and Congress reaches a deal to reopen the government, as the . Johnson previously said Grijalva would be sworn in "as soon as she wants." House Democrats have accused Johnson of delaying Grijalva's swearing-in, as she would be the final signature needed to force a vote on legislation to release files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Grijalva has said she'll sign the petition when she takes office, providing Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie the 218 signatures needed to have a vote. During a C-SPAN appearance last week, Johnson said, "This has zero to do with Epstein." Lawmakers who win special elections typically take the oath of office on days when legislative business is conducted, giving a short speech as family and friends watch. However, the process has been done differently before. In April, Johnson swore in Florida Republican Reps. Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine less than 24 hours after winning their special elections. This was during a pro forma session. Johnson said the circumstances for Patronis and Fine's swearing-in were different because the House unexpectedly went out of session that day and both men had arranged for family to be in town for the ceremony. The speaker also noted that Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., waited 25 days before her ceremony in 2021. At the time, Democrats led the House.
