Tempers are flaring in Washington as a high-stakes legal and political battle unfolds over the swearing-in of Arizona’s newly elected congresswoman, Adelita Grijalva. More than a month after her landslide victory in a special election, Grijalva—poised to become the first Latina to represent Arizona in Congress—remains in limbo, with her right to take office blocked by House Speaker Mike Johnson. The impasse has sparked a federal lawsuit, accusations of partisan maneuvering, and a fierce debate over congressional norms, all set against the backdrop of a grinding government shutdown.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes took the extraordinary step of filing a lawsuit on October 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C., federal court, seeking to compel Johnson to administer the oath of office to Grijalva or to allow another authorized official to do so if he refuses. According to the Associated Press, Mayes argued that Johnson’s refusal leaves more than 800,000 people in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District without representation, a situation she likened to “taxation without representation.” “I will not allow Arizonans to be silenced or treated as second-class citizens in their own democracy,” Mayes declared in her filing, reported by Newsweek.
Grijalva, a former school board member and county supervisor in Tucson, won her seat on September 23, 2025, succeeding her father, the late Raúl Grijalva, a progressive Democrat who served in Congress for over two decades before his death in March. Her election was seen as a continuation of her family’s political legacy and a milestone for representation in Arizona. Yet, as of late October, she has yet to be sworn in—despite having traveled to Washington and prepared to begin work for her constituents.
House Speaker Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has insisted that Grijalva will be sworn in only when the House reconvenes for regular legislative business. He blames the ongoing government shutdown, now the second-longest in U.S. history, for the delay. “We run the House. She has no jurisdiction. We’re following the precedent,” Johnson told reporters, referencing former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 25-day delay in swearing in Republican Julia Letlow during a 2021 recess. Johnson dismissed the lawsuit as “patently absurd” and accused Mayes of grandstanding for publicity, according to CNN and AP.
But Democrats and Grijalva’s supporters are not buying it. They argue that Johnson’s actions are less about procedure and more about politics—specifically, about blocking a vote to force the release of Justice Department files related to the late Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation. Grijalva’s signature would provide the critical 218th vote needed for a discharge petition, enabling Democrats to bring the issue to the House floor. “Speaker Johnson cannot continue to disenfranchise an entire district and suppress their representation to shield this administration from accountability and block justice for the Epstein survivors,” Grijalva said in a statement cited by Arizona Republic.
The lawsuit claims that by keeping Grijalva’s seat empty, Johnson is denying the people of Arizona’s 7th District their legal right to representation. The complaint asks the court to allow a federal judge or other authorized official to administer the oath if Johnson continues to stall. “This case is about whether someone duly elected to the House—who indisputably meets the constitutional qualifications of the office—may be denied her rightful office simply because the Speaker has decided to keep the House out of ‘regular session,’” Mayes wrote in the complaint, as reported by Arizona Republic.
Grijalva herself has been vocal about the personal and practical impact of the delay. Without being officially sworn in, she is unable to sign a lease for office space, access government computers, hire staff, or respond to constituent requests. In a video posted on October 16, she likened her predicament to being given a car with no engine, gas, or tires. “I want to get to work and I can’t,” she said, expressing frustration at being denied the tools and authority to serve her district.
There is precedent for both prompt and delayed swearing-in ceremonies, adding complexity to the dispute. In April, Johnson swore in two Florida Republicans less than 24 hours after their special elections during a pro forma session. Yet he also points to the 25-day wait for Rep. Letlow in 2021 as evidence that delays are not unprecedented. According to Christian Fong, a University of Michigan political scientist cited by AP, the lawsuit is likely more about messaging than legal effect, and he expects Grijalva will be sworn in before the courts can intervene.
Meanwhile, the standoff has become a rallying point for Democrats and voting rights advocates. Arizona Senators Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly have confronted Johnson, demanding an explanation for the delay. Grijalva has urged supporters to sign a petition for her immediate swearing-in, warning that “the voters in southern Arizona elected Adelita Grijalva to Congress—but Republicans are delaying her swearing-in, blocking her from becoming the decisive 218th signature to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files.”
Johnson, for his part, has rejected any link between the swearing-in delay and the Epstein investigation. He has dismissed such claims as “totally absurd,” accusing Democrats of using “red herrings and distraction” to score political points. The Speaker has also argued that the House’s current closure is necessary to pressure Democrats to end the government shutdown, a tactic that has drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle for leaving constituents unrepresented.
The legal fight has brought renewed attention to the often-opaque rules governing House procedure and the power wielded by the Speaker. It also highlights the tension between partisan strategy and the fundamental principle of representation. As Mayes wrote in her lawsuit, “Defendants’ refusal to promptly seat Ms. Grijalva, and to treat her as a member of the House, likewise injures the State of Arizona, which is denied the number of Representatives provided for by law.”
As the shutdown drags on and the lawsuit winds its way through the courts, more than 800,000 Arizonans remain without a voice in Congress. Whether the standoff is resolved by legal intervention, political compromise, or the simple passage of time, the case of Adelita Grijalva has become a flashpoint in the broader struggle over the rules, rights, and responsibilities that define American democracy.
