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U.S. Supreme Court: Top Arizona lawmakers must testify in voting laws case

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma must answer questions about two voting laws.

Those laws, adopted by Republicans on party lines in 2022, would require voters to provide more proof of citizenship, or be stricken from voter rolls. 

Voting rights groups sued the state, arguing the laws will disenfranchise legitimate voters. Petersen (R-Gilbert) and Toma (R-Peoria) intervened when Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes said she wouldn’t defend every aspect of the laws.

U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the lawmakers forfeited their “legislative privilege” when they joined the case.

In a brief order today, the Supreme Court denied Toma and Petersen’s request to stay the decision. The Court did not provide an explanation for the decision. 

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Wayne Schutsky is a broadcast field correspondent covering Arizona politics on KJZZ. He has over a decade of experience as a journalist reporting on local communities in Arizona and the state Capitol.