Highlights

The Arizona Court of Appeals has temporarily blocked enforcement of a lower court ruling that had handed Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap significant control over the county's elections, freezing a legal battle that has roiled county government since Heap took office.

Two of the court's three justices voted to stay the order, with Justice Brian Furuya dissenting. The majority opinion, written by Justices Andrew Jacobs and James Morse, leaned on the Purcell principle, a legal guideline named after former Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell that discourages rule changes in the immediate lead-up to an election. The justices wrote that Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney's April 16 ruling mandated changes that could result in "concrete, operational impacts on the public's voting experience."

The underlying dispute dates to Heap's first days in office, when he contended that the majority-GOP Board of Supervisors had stripped much of his authority through a deal struck with his predecessor. Heap, a Republican, sued the board last year. Blaney ruled largely in Heap's favor in April, issuing an injunction that ordered the board to return control of several election-related functions and information technology staffers to Heap's office. The board appealed, arguing the timing was too close to the primary to implement the directives without risking disruption.

The appellate majority framed the dispute in terms that went beyond an internal organizational fight. Their ruling stated that the conflict is "a live conflict hurtling toward real-world consequences in elections about to begin."

Board of Supervisors Chair Kate Brophy McGee, a Republican, said in a statement that the court's decision was "a win" for voters, adding that the lower court ruling would have forced the county to enact broad changes in election administration in the middle of one election and on the eve of another. A spokesperson for Heap did not respond to a request for comment.

The stay carries consequences beyond the primary calendar. Blaney said at a June 15 hearing that his authority to address Heap's pending contempt motion against the board, and a separate matter involving the removal of a scanner from the county's vote tabulation center, would evaporate if the appellate court issued a stay. Blaney had also ordered both parties to attend a mediation session; spokespeople for both sides had not confirmed as of Thursday whether that June 22 meeting would proceed.

A separate grievance filed by Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, who contends that Heap's legal team is encroaching on her duties as the county's top lawyer, also remains unresolved. Mitchell's spokesperson Erin Pellett told Votebeat that Mitchell and her team were still evaluating the impact of the appellate ruling on their case.

The primary begins within days. Whether the underlying dispute over election authority resumes after the election, or proceeds to further appellate review, will determine how Maricopa County's elections office is structured heading into the fall.

Sources

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  1. azmirror.com retrieved 18/06/2026 22:26

Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 18/06/2026 22:26. Every claim traces to a source.