Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap scored two major court victories. First, the judge ruled he can retain outside counsel pro bono without County Attorney approval. Second, a TRO blocked the BOS subpoenas targeting his staff as potential retaliation. BOS defies Judge Blaney's TRO by scheduling Feb 9 testimony session anyway. Order to Show Cause hearing set for Feb 11 at 9:00 a.m. to address the defiance.

In sworn testimony on January 26, 2026, Maricopa County Senior Director of Voter Registration Janine Petty revealed that legal voters who cast provisional ballots in the 2024 General Election—but timely provided required proof of citizenship or residency—were illegally disenfranchised, as their full ballots (including state and local races) were not pulled and counted per Arizona law.

2K+ "Lost" Ballot Affidavit Envelopes Unearthed in Friday Post-Election Chaos. Recorder Heap Exposes County Supervisors’ Power Grab Gone Wrong.