Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap calls election lawsuit ruling ‘vindication for our side’

PHOENIX — Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap said Tuesday he felt “vindication” after getting a favorable ruling in his lawsuit over election responsibilities in Arizona’s largest county.

Heap sued the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in June 2025, several months after taking office. The judge issued a ruling in the case last week.

“We have been in a long fight. So this judgment is really a vindication for our side,” he told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show.

Under state law, elected county supervisors and recorders share election duties. Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney ordered the board to restore certain responsibilities to Heap’s office that were removed as part of a deal with his predecessor, Stephen Richer. Richer, Heap and four of the board’s five members are Republicans.

“The previous recorder and the previous board signed an agreement that took effect about 10 days before I took office, which transferred a third of my budget, my entire IT staff, all of my computer systems and servers over to the control of the board,” Heap said.

Some of the recorder’s election duties were also transferred to the board as part of the deal, Heap noted.

“The judge ordered … that it was a usurpation of authority to take these things from my office. They need to immediately return control of the IT systems and servers to my office,” Heap said.

Recorder Justin Heap seeks clarity heading into election season

However, with early voting for the upcoming primaries starting in just two months, the court battle for election control in Maricopa County might not be resolved.

After discussing the legal options during an executive session Monday, the board is expected to vote during Wednesday’s meeting on whether to appeal the decision.

“The court correctly concluded that the board oversees the county budget and makes all appropriations decisions. But I disagree with other portions of the ruling, and I will explore all options with the Board of Supervisors, including an expeditious appeal,” Chairwoman Kate Brophy McGee, who represents District 3 on the board, said in a statement.

However, at least one Republican supervisor appears to be ready to put the legal battle behind him.

“It is now time to move forward with a unified focus and give our team the resources they need to deliver transparent, secure and best-in-class elections that the voters of Maricopa County deserve,” Supervisor Mark Stewart of District 1 said in a statement.

Heap is concerned that further legal wrangling will create confusion about responsibilities heading into the July 21 primary and Nov. 4 general election.

“Thus far they haven’t taken any actual action to give me the staff or the budget to be able to run those aspects of the law,” he said. “So, if this gets drawn out in court, we’re going to have to work out some arrangement for this election cycle, and I don’t want that confusion going into this election.”

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