“Pure Speculation and Abject Conjecture”: Judge Slams Giuliani’s Document Demand in Arizona Case
REUTERS/Amr Alfiky
An Arizona judge has rejected a document demand from Rudy Giuliani, former President Donald Trump’s lawyer, accusing him of basing his request on “pure speculation” rather than evidence, according to court records. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Bruce Cohen delivered a sharp rebuke to Giuliani in a ruling issued Monday, dismissing his attempt to access grand jury documents in Arizona’s fake elector case.
Giuliani, who pleaded not guilty in May to charges of conspiring to overturn the state’s 2020 election results, had filed a motion seeking documents related to the grand jury that indicted him. Giuliani claimed that the grand jurors had been selected based on political affiliation, arguing that this might have biased the proceedings. However, Judge Cohen dismantled Giuliani’s request, pointing out that it lacked any factual foundation.
“The underlying claim that formulates the request is based upon pure speculation and abject conjecture,” Cohen wrote in his ruling. “He alleges not one scintilla of information that would support this claim.”
Cohen went further, noting that Giuliani’s demand was overly broad and included documents to which he was not entitled. “He seeks information that would be voluminous, including a voter jury list that would be in the millions of identified potential jurors,” Cohen explained. “He also seeks underlying software to which he is not entitled.”
Giuliani’s claim of political bias in the jury selection was particularly flawed, according to Cohen, because the grand jury had been empaneled long before Arizona prosecutors began preparing their case. “This was not a special grand jury to address the charges brought against these various defendants,” Cohen wrote. “Rather, it was a sitting grand jury who was not selected for this case or any other specific case.”
Despite dismissing most of Giuliani’s arguments, the judge granted a limited request, ordering the Arizona Attorney General’s office to submit an affidavit by Oct. 16 regarding the grand jury commissioner’s access to information about jurors’ political affiliations. This small concession leaves open the possibility of future requests from Giuliani, but Cohen made it clear that any further demands would require concrete evidence.
“In all other respects, the relief sought by Defendant Giuliani is denied,” Cohen concluded. “Leave is granted to re-urge similar requests if the disclosures ordered herein reveal a factual and legal basis for further inquiry into this issue.”
This ruling marks another setback for Giuliani, whose legal challenges continue to mount as part of the broader efforts tied to the 2020 election.
