Swing-state MAGA official suffers blistering court loss for move to curtail voting rights

Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap, the pro-Trump official in charge of election administration in one of America's largest swing-state counties, got a blistering loss in state court on Thursday, as a panel of appellate judges blocked his sweeping election order against the Board of Supervisors.

Among other things, Heap ordered the board to hand over a trove of election equipment and resources they were withholding from his office, and make a number of changes to the process for approving polling places, including stripping the board of the power to approve new drop box sites without his consent under penalty of felony.

In the order, the judges ruled that the supervisors are likely to prevail against Heap on the merits.

Furthermore, they argued that the "Purcell" principle prohibited the lower court from intervening on Heap's behalf in a way that is likely to substantially change election rules this close to voting.

"Courts are reluctant to order last-minute changes in election rules and procedures because they can burden election workers and complicate and create confusion in the voting experience," said the judges. "We see merit in the Board’s and Purcell’s argument and conclude that the injunction is very likely to be vacated on Purcell grounds."

All of this comes as senior Trump White House aide Stephen Miller seeks to intervene in Arizona elections, which even Heap himself has asked courts to stop.