Judge in Arizona ‘fake elector’ case against several Trump allies sets 2026 court date
(PHOENIX) — The judge overseeing the Arizona “fake elector” case that charged several Trump allies with alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the state has set a trial date of Jan. 5, 2026.
At a hearing in Phoenix on Monday, Arizona Superior Court Judge Bruce Cohen heard several motions from the defendants’ attorneys including some motions to dismiss the case.
Many of the defendants, including Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, appeared virtually.
An attorney for former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani argued in court that the allegations against Giuliani are not crimes and instead amount to free speech.
“The way I see it, is that in every instance where they’ve alleged Mr. Giuliani has done something in this indictment, it’s all conduct related to his constitutional right, freedom of speech, to petition the government,” the attorney said.
An attorney for Jim Lamon, one of the so-called fake electors, argued at length that the charges in the indictment against his client are “insufficient” and that his client was told to be a “duly qualified elector” by state party chair Kelli Ward.
Ward, Lamon’s attorney said, told Lamon that the documents he signed purporting that Trump won Arizona “was vetted out by lawyers all throughout the administration.”
“That’s what he was told,” Lamon’s attorney argued.
“I think we can agree [Lamon] was not part of the Trump campaign,” Lamon’s attorney added. “There’s no evidence he talked to Trump or the campaign at all.”
Krista Wood, an attorney with the Arizona attorney general’s office, asked for a protective order over the grand jury proceedings, citing “several leaks” in other similar cases, including the Fulton County election interference case case in Georgia.
“Given the number of defendants and defense counsel, there’s a larger probability of that type of information being leaked,” Wood said of the grand jurors’ names.
All those indicted in the case pleaded not guilty earlier this summer to charges of fraud, forgery, and conspiracy for their alleged efforts to overturn the state’s election results. Trump’s former attorney Jenna Ellis subsequently reached a cooperation agreement with prosecutors in exchange for the state dropping the charges against her.
(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) — The legal team of Sean Grayson, the former deputy charged with fatally shooting Illinois mother Sonya Massey in her home, notified the court Monday during his first pretrial hearing that they filed a request for an appeal with the Illinois Appellate Court last week following a lower court’s decision to deny Grayson’s pretrial release, according to Grayson’s lawyer.
Grayson has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in Massey’s death after she called 911 to report a prowler. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in custody.
A review by Illinois State Police found Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force. He was fired from his position with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office on July 17, the same day the charges were filed against him.
Grayson’s defense team requested his pretrial release from jail twice. In their latest request, the team argues in a motion filed earlier this month that he is currently under cancer treatment and will not receive adequate care in the Menyard County Jail, where Grayson is currently being held. They also stated that he does not pose a threat to Massey’s family.
Judge Ryan Cadagin denied the requests on July 18 and Aug. 9, according to the circuit court.
“Mr. Grayson is not being treated any differently than any other defendant that walks into the courthouse this morning, or is in custody, as well for a felony and they’re detained,” Mark Wykoff, Grayson’s attorney, told reporters at the circuit court after the hearing.
Wykoff said it could take up to three to four months for a decision to come out of the appellate court. If the appellate court approves the appeal, the defense can then petition the Illinois Supreme Court to review the appellate court’s decision, according to the Illinois Courts website.
In Monday’s hearing, the defense requested more time for discovery — the exchange of information between the prosecution and defense about witnesses and evidence they’ll present at trial, according to the court. Cadagin granted their request and ordered a status hearing for Oct. 21.
Grayson’s job with Sangamon County was one of six different police jobs he held over the past four years.
Prior to his employment with Sangamon, Grayson worked at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office for just under a year. According to audio files obtained by ABC News, Grayson’s then-boss, Logan County Chief Deputy Nathan Miller, expressed concerns over Grayson violating department policy and submitting inaccurate reports while discussing his mishandling of a traffic case.
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell, who announced he will retire at the end of August in connection to hiring Grayson, previously told ABC News that Sangamon County was not aware of this incident when Grayson was hired. Without knowledge of his disciplinary issues at Logan County, Campbell said that Grayson presented no red flags.
“Some individuals would rather see our community divided and in turmoil, than allow me to continue serving as Sheriff,” he said. “The health of me and my family, the Sheriff’s Office, and our community has to be my priority.”
Prior to Grayson’s time in public law enforcement, he was discharged from the U.S. Army for unspecified “misconduct (serious offense),” according to documents obtained by ABC News.
ABC News also learned that Grayson was charged with two DUI offenses in Macoupin County, Illinois, in August 2015 and July 2016, according to court documents.
Grayson, 30, and a second, unnamed deputy responded to Massey’s 911 call on July 6 reporting a possible intruder at her Springfield home.
Body camera footage shows Massey, who was unarmed, telling the two responding deputies, “Please, don’t hurt me,” once she answered their knocks on her door. Grayson responded, “I don’t want to hurt you, you called us.”
Later in the video, while inside Massey’s home as she searches for her ID, Grayson points to a pot of boiling water on her stove and says, “We don’t need a fire while we’re in here.”
Massey then pours the water into the sink and tells the deputy, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
Grayson then shouts at Massey and threatens to shoot her, the video shows, and Massey apologizes and ducks down behind a counter, covering her face with what appears to be a red oven mitt. She briefly rises, at which time Grayson shoots her three times in the face, the footage shows.
Grayson said he feared for his life during his encounter with Massey, according to documents released by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in August.
“While on scene, I was in fear Dep. (redacted) and I were going to receive great bodily harm or death. Due to being in fear of our safety and life, I fired my duty weapon,” Grayson wrote in his field case report.
The Menard County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Grayson “is not receiving any preferential treatment, nor being afforded any privileges or benefits not afforded to other inmates of the Menard County Jail.”
ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Millions of Americans are gearing up to head to the airport or hit the highway for the last long weekend of summer.
Here’s what to know about Labor Day weekend travel:
Air travel
More than 17 million people are forecast to be screened at U.S. airports from Thursday, Aug. 29, to Wednesday, Sept. 4 — an 8.5% increase from last year, the Transportation Security Administration said.
The TSA anticipates Friday, Aug. 30, will be its busiest day with 2.86 million travelers expected.
The TSA’s top 10 busiest travel days ever have all occurred since May.
United Airlines expects this year will be its busiest Labor Day weekend on record, with over 2.9 million passengers poised to fly between Thursday, Aug. 29, and Tuesday, Sept. 3 — up 3% from last year. United predicts Aug. 30 will be its busiest day.
American Airlines predicts this year will be its largest Labor Day operations ever, with over 3.8 million customers anticipated from Aug. 29 to Sept. 3 — up 14% from last year. American says its busiest travel days will be Aug. 29 and Aug. 30.
For Southwest Airlines, Aug. 30 and Sept. 2 are forecast to be peak travel days.
The busiest airports are anticipated to be Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, according to Hopper.
The most searched domestic destinations for Labor Day are New York City, Seattle and Los Angeles, according to Hopper.
Road travel
If you’re hitting the road on Thursday, Aug. 29, the worst time to drive is from 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to analytics company INRIX.
On Friday, Aug. 30, the worst travel time is from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. On Monday, Sept. 2, the busiest time on the roads will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., INRIX said.
AAA said drivers should expect to pay less for gas this year. The national average for gas during Labor Day weekend 2023 was $3.81; this year, prices are expected to be around $3.50.
(NEW YORK) — The center of Tropical Storm Ernesto passed within 40 miles from San Juan, Puerto Rico, producing strong winds and heavy rain overnight.
More than 300,000 customers were without power in Puerto Rico, according to LUMA, a service provider.
The storm was moving Wednesday morning away from Puerto Rico and was nearing hurricane strength with sustained winds of 70 mph. Hurricane force winds begin at 74 mph.
On Culebra island, east of Puerto Rico, sustained winds of 68 mph was reported with gusts up to 86 mph. A METAR Observation Station at the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico reported a sustained wind of 48 mph and a gust of 74 mph.
Tropical storm warnings were issued for Puerto Rico and a hurricane watch was in effect for the British Virgin Islands.
Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi had warned residents to stay home starting on Tuesday evening, when the tropical storm-force winds are forecast to reach the island. Total rainfall could reach up to 10 inches in some spots.
A flash-flood warning had been issued for parts of Puerto Rico early Wednesday morning, with several inches of rain already causing flash flooding. Heavy rain and gusty winds will continue in Puerto Rico into the afternoon as Ernesto moves away.