After a state judge dismissed Kari Lake’s lawsuit to the 2022 Arizona election, Democrat Katie Hobbs requested that Lake be punished by the court. The judge, however, granted Lake victory by refusing to impose the sanction.

KSAZ-TV reports that on Tuesday, Maricopa County Judge Peter Thompson denied Hobbs’ request for penalties against Lake because she launched her complaint in “bad faith.”

Sanctions are supposed to penalize a person and serve as a deterrent to others from filing similar lawsuits in the future. In other words, Hobbs hoped no one would ever again contest an election in the future.

“Enough really is enough. It is past time to end unfounded attacks on elections and unwarranted accusations against elections officials,” a portion of Hobbs’ motion read. “This matter was brought without any legitimate justification, let alone a substantial one.”

However, the judge disagreed.

“There is no doubt that each side believes firmly in its position and with great conviction,” Thompson wrote.

Thompson did not believe that Lake brought her claim in ill faith, but he nonetheless dismissed it.

In his ruling on Saturday, he determined that Lake lacked clear proof of widespread misbehavior that might have altered the outcomes of the 2022 governor’s race.

However, Thompson only granted Lake two trial days to request a re-vote in Maricopa County. In addition, he ordered Lake to pay $33,040.50 in Hobbs’ legal expenses.

“Those costs include $28,351 in fees for expert witnesses called by Hobbs and $4,689.50 in compensation paid to Hobbs’s representative who attended ballot inspections prior to trial,” stated The Hill.

Lake has promised to challenge the judge’s decision to dismiss her lawsuit and has criticized Hobbs for pursuing punishment.

“Defendants’ motion for sanctions is not supported by case law or the record. Trust in the election process is not furthered by punishing those who bring legitimate claims as Plaintiff did here. In fact, sanctioning Plaintiff would have the opposite effect,” Lake said in a court filing.

More on this story via The Western Journal:

During an appearance on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast, Lake went on the attack.

“She will be a puppet, and she has zero plans. She wouldn’t even appear on a debate stage and respect the people of this state enough to tell them what her plans are. It’s despicable. And this is the reason they had to steal the election,” Lake told Bannon on Tuesday. CONTINUE READING…