Arizona’s political landscape is roiling after Attorney General Kris Mayes issued a stern ultimatum to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson: swear in Adelita Grijalva as the state’s newest member of Congress, or face a lawsuit. The standoff, which erupted in mid-October 2025, has left more than 800,000 residents of Arizona’s 7th Congressional District without official representation in Washington, D.C., and has cast a harsh spotlight on the intersection of constitutional rights, partisan maneuvering, and the lingering shadow of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Adelita Grijalva’s path to Congress is steeped in both personal legacy and political urgency. She won a decisive victory in the September 23 special election, capturing nearly 70% of the more than 102,000 votes cast. The seat was left vacant after the death in March of her father, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, a fixture in Arizona politics for over two decades. According to Capitol Media Services, the election results were formally certified on October 14 by Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, with Governor Katie Hobbs promptly transmitting the certification to the U.S. House.
But despite these formalities, Speaker Johnson has refused to administer the oath of office. His stated reason? The ongoing federal government shutdown. As reported by Axios, Johnson insists Grijalva will be sworn in “once the government shutdown ends and the House is back in session,” arguing that she deserves the same “pomp and circumstances” as other members of Congress—a ceremony he claims can only happen when the House resumes full business.
Yet, critics are not convinced. Attorney General Mayes, a Democrat, has accused Johnson of using “ever-shifting, unsatisfactory, and sometimes absurd” excuses to delay Grijalva’s admission. In a letter dated October 14, Mayes condemned the delay as unconstitutional and warned, “Should you fail to provide such assurance, we will be forced to seek judicial relief to protect Arizona and residents of its Seventh Congressional District.” She emphasized the urgency, stating, “It is way past time for Speaker Johnson to seat Grijalva.”
Mayes’s frustration is echoed by other Arizona officials. Governor Hobbs urged Johnson to “swear in the duly elected congresswoman so that her constituents finally have representation in Washington.” Secretary Fontes’s certification of the election, Mayes argued, leaves Johnson with no procedural excuse. “With the House in possession of the certificate of election, it is now a simple ministerial duty to administer the oath of office,” Mayes said, as reported by Capitol Media Services.
The legal and political stakes are high. Mayes points to a 1969 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the House cannot exclude members who meet constitutional requirements. While House rules don’t require Johnson to swear in Grijalva until the chamber is back in session, he does have the option to do so during “pro forma” sessions—brief meetings held for constitutional purposes. Notably, two Florida Republicans were sworn in during such a session in April 2025, a fact repeatedly cited by Mayes and Arizona Democrats as precedent for immediate action.
So why the delay? Many believe it’s less about protocol and more about politics. At the heart of the controversy is a discharge petition circulating in the House, led by Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, which seeks to force a vote on releasing files related to the sex crimes case against the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The petition has garnered 217 signatures—just one short of the majority needed to bring it to the floor. Grijalva, upon being sworn in, has pledged to be the pivotal 218th signature.
“There’s no legitimate reason for him to refuse to swear her in right now—no other reason that I can think of, except that perhaps she’s the final vote to discharge the Epstein files,” Mayes told CNN. “And it’s not fair for Mike Johnson to be holding the state of Arizona hostage because he doesn’t want to release the Epstein files.” Grijalva herself has been forthright, stating, “Any further delay reveals his true motive: Speaker Johnson is stalling because he knows I will be the 218th signature on the discharge petition to release the Epstein files.”
Johnson, for his part, has dismissed these accusations as political grandstanding. “It’s really no surprise that yet another Democrat politician from Arizona is trying a publicity stunt,” he told reporters in Washington, as quoted by Capitol Media Services. “We are going to swear in Rep. Grijalva as soon as we get back to legislative session.” He further argued that Democrats in the Senate should focus on reopening the government, suggesting that the impasse is a result of their refusal to pass a continuing resolution.
But for Mayes and her allies, the issue is about more than legislative timing. “Adelita Grijalva is getting requests from constituents right now, through her campaign website, who are dealing with flooding issues down in her district,” Mayes explained. “She doesn’t have keys to her office, she is unable to hire staffers, and she is unable to adequately represent her constituents. And that is absolutely outrageous.”
The broader context adds gravity to the standoff. Epstein’s death in 2019, ruled a suicide, ended a federal prosecution that had only just begun to probe the extent of his crimes and connections. The push to release investigative files has drawn bipartisan support, with both parties eager to shed light on a scandal that has haunted American public life for years. The discharge petition is seen as a rare opportunity to force transparency—if it can reach the magic number of 218 signatures.
Mayes has indicated that if Johnson does not provide a clear timeline for Grijalva’s swearing-in by the end of October 16, she will seek a declaratory judgment from a federal court. “Our aim is to get her sworn in ASAP because her constituents in Arizona deserve that,” Mayes said. Should the legal battle escalate, it could set a precedent for how quickly—and under what circumstances—special election winners are seated in Congress, especially when partisan stakes are high.
Meanwhile, Grijalva remains in limbo, unable to access her office or staff, and her district remains voiceless on Capitol Hill. The coming days will determine whether Arizona’s attorney general can force the House’s hand, or whether the impasse will drag on, deepening frustrations in a state already weary from political brinkmanship.
As the deadline looms, all eyes are on Washington and Phoenix. The outcome will resonate far beyond Arizona, testing the limits of congressional procedure and the resilience of democratic representation in the face of partisan conflict.
