Ben Giles/KJZZ

The audit site at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix on April 22, 2021.

An attorney for the Arizona Senate is asking for a delay in revealing some audit documents. 

Attorney Thomas Basile argues it’s impossible for the records to be public and for the Senate to maintain any review of its privilege claims. 

In court filings, he told Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Michael Kemp he is convinced appellate courts will shield more than 700 documents. 

So if those documents are deemed public now, it wouldn’t matter if higher courts ruled they should be protected. 

→ Ken Bennett hits the road in support of the Arizona audit

He further argued there has been no precedent for qualifying legislative oversight.

American Oversight is an organization suing for the immediate release of those documents. They pointed out that the judge ordered the prompt release of the records. 

The judge wrote that the stakes couldn’t be higher, and transparency outweighs the concerns of future legislative deliberation.