Attorney General Kris Mayes must restart her case against the 2020 fake electors after the Arizona Supreme Court rejected a key appeal.

Why it matters: The alleged crimes occurred almost six years ago, and the case will now drag on even longer and loom over this year's AG race.

Driving the news: The Supreme Court yesterday denied Mayes' request to overturn a lower court's dismissal of charges against the 11 Republican electors and seven other alleged co-conspirators.

• A judge ruled last year that the AG's Office must take the case back to a grand jury because prosecutors never provided jurors with the text of an 1887 law that the defendants say shows their innocence.
• That left Mayes with two choices: start over or end the high-profile case.

What's next: Mayes will send the case back to a grand jury, spokesperson Richie Taylor told us yesterday.

• He said he couldn't comment on how long the process might take.
• The original indictments came about a year after the AG's Office launched its investigation.

The intrigue: The legal blow comes as Mayes faces a tough reelection fight and could turn the fake electors prosecution into a campaign issue, testing voters' appetite for continuing the politically charged case.

• Republican candidates Rodney Glassman and Warren Petersen, who are fighting for the GOP nomination in the July 21 primary, have both said they'll drop the case if elected.

Catch up quick: A grand jury in 2024 indicted the 11 Republican electors — including then Arizona GOP chair Kelli Ward, Turning Point Action COO Tyler Bowyer, state Sen. Jake Hoffman and then-state Sen. Anthony Kern — on nine felony counts for conspiracy, fraudulent schemes and artifices and forgery after they cast electoral votes falsely asserting that Donald Trump won Arizona in the 2020 election.

• Seven alleged co-conspirators were indicted as well, including Rudy Giuliani and Trump's former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

Read more

Arcadia's long-awaited Poolboy Taco is worth a visit for the ambiance alone, but the Southwest-inspired fare packs a punch, too.

Zoom in: Poolboy is more cabana than restaurant, with Palm Springs resort vibes that begin with the bright yellow exterior and striped patio umbrellas.

• Inside, you'll find loud splashes of baby blue, orange and red and enough natural light to make you think you may actually be poolside.

Catch up quick: Poolboy is the latest from Gadzooks Enchiladas & Soup co-owner Aaron Pool. It took over the former Gadzooks location at 40th Street and Camelback Road.

Best bites: Tacos can come in a crunchy corn tortilla or a soft half-corn, half-flour tortilla (my personal favorite).

• The Poolboy taco: Tomatillo chicken, jalapeno ranch and honey slaw combine with a custardy sweet-and-spicy cornbread (also available as a side) for an unexpected but delightful flavor explosion.
• The Aspen: I doused this taco — Wagyu ground beef, egg and cheddar — in a spicy green salsa from the impressive serve-yourself salsa bar.

Hear me out: The cornbread is the star of the menu.

• Is cornbread a weird side with tacos? Yes. Is it an even weirder thing to include inside a taco? Also yes.
• But don't knock it till you try it.

My pro tip

Lawmakers kept busy this week while Gov. Katie Hobbs and Republican legislative leadership continued working toward an elusive bipartisan budget deal.

⛱️ Homeowners associations wouldn't be able to prohibit backyard shade structures but could regulate style, placement and size under a bill passed by the House, which is now on Hobbs' desk.

🏘️ Legislation to exempt historic neighborhoods from a 2025 law limiting cities' ability to restrict "middle housing," such as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and townhomes, was defeated in the House.

💨 The House gave final approval to a bill that would crack down on marketing and sales of vaping products to minors. It awaits Hobbs' signature or veto.

💔 A bill limiting post-divorce spousal maintenance payments to four years awaits a final vote after receiving preliminary approval in the House.

⚖️ Judges could designate some lower-level felony convictions as class 1 misdemeanors for first-time offenders under a bill that the House passed unanimously, sending it to the governor's desk.

💰 Meanwhile, Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) told Axios he believes they're 99% of the way there on the budget — it was 97% nearly a month ago, when talks restarted — but the last 1% is the hardest.

• The budget could be done by the end of next week if a "couple of major issues, not necessarily big money issues, are resolved," Senate Appropriations Committee chair John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills) told Axios.
• "Of course, things could always go south fast," he added.

Share this story

💧 San Diego County water officials are exploring agreements to send water from a desalination plant to Arizona and Nevada. (Arizona Mirror)

📱 The Peoria City Council approved a contentious 70-foot cell phone tower. (AZcentral)

⚖️ The Goldwater Institute is suing Phoenix over a Roosevelt Row land deal that would require affordable housing, which the group alleges is an illegal gift to the developer under the Arizona Constitution. (KJZZ)

⛔ The Queen Creek Town Council rejected annexation for an area with more than 1,500 homes and 5,000 residents, to the dismay of residents who'd long expected to be part of the town. (12 News)

It's that time again! See how well you absorbed this week's news with our quiz.

🥳 Congratulations to last week's perfect scorers: Mike R., Sharon S., Chris M., Craig F., Mark D., Emily R., Theresa P. and Barbara G.

Hit reply or email us at [email protected] with a screenshot of your perfect score for a shoutout next week!