The state of Arizona has filed a lawsuit against House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., accusing him of unlawfully delaying the oath of office for Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., and depriving Arizona’s 7th Congressional District of representation during the ongoing federal shutdown.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, said Johnson is “stripping the people of Arizona of one of their seats in Congress,” arguing that postponing Grijalva’s swearing-in amounts to “taxation without representation.” Mayes framed the litigation as a defense of Arizonans’ voting rights and pledged not to let her constituents be “silenced” or treated as “second-class citizens.”
Johnson rejected the suit as political theater. Calling it “patently absurd,” he told reporters that the House controls its own proceedings and that he is “following the precedent.” He added that Mayes is seeking “national publicity.”
How we got here
- Sept. 23: Grijalva wins a special election to succeed her father, the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., who died at age 77 from cancer.
- October: Johnson says Grijalva will be sworn in when the House returns to regular session, but he has threatened to keep members out of Washington until the shutdown ends.
- Shutdown dynamics: Johnson is pressing Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to accept a GOP funding plan through Nov. 21. Schumer and allies have blocked the House bill 11 times, and the shutdown has stretched 21 days.
Democrats say voters are being denied a voice
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., accused Republicans of “refusing” for four consecutive weeks to seat Grijalva, leaving “hundreds of thousands” in AZ-07 without representation during a national crisis. Grijalva has said she cannot perform legislative or constituent work until she is sworn in—an assertion Johnson and Republicans dispute.
Johnson cites past precedent
Johnson argues the House was not in legislative session when Grijalva won and points to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s timeline in 2021, when Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., was sworn in 25 days after winning a special election to fill the seat of her late husband, Luke Letlow. “I will administer the oath to her, I hope, on the first day we come back,” Johnson said, while criticizing Grijalva’s social-media activity: “Instead of doing TikTok videos, she should be serving her constituents.”
Why the timing matters beyond AZ-07
Grijalva’s seating could immediately affect House maneuvering over Jeffrey Epstein-related documents. Once sworn, she is expected to be the deciding signature on a discharge petition to force a House floor vote compelling the Department of Justice to release Epstein records. GOP leaders have dismissed the petition as duplicative and political, citing the chamber’s own transparency efforts. Johnson has signaled he would not block the measure if it reached the floor after Grijalva is sworn in.
