London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Aug 05, 2026

Federal Judge in Arizona Dismisses Third Limb of Sidney Powell's Post-Election 'Kraken,' Which Was 'Sorely Wanting of Relevant or Reliable Evidence'

Federal Judge in Arizona Dismisses Third Limb of Sidney Powell's Post-Election 'Kraken,' Which Was 'Sorely Wanting of Relevant or Reliable Evidence'

A federal judge dismissed Powell's effort to overturn Arizona's presidential election. “Allegations that find favor in the public sphere of gossip and innuendo cannot be a substitute for earnest pleadings and procedure in federal court,” the judge.

Sidney Powell’s post-election “Kraken” is now nearly limbless.

Leaving only one of her post-election lawsuits standing, a federal judge on Tuesday dismissed Powell’s effort to overturn Arizona’s presidential election. The decision marks the third wholesale rejection of Powell’s conspiracy theories by federal courts across the nation, and the fourth judge skewered her pending lawsuit for a cascade of procedural errors.

“By any measure, the relief Plaintiffs seek is extraordinary. If granted, millions of Arizonans who exercised their individual right to vote in the 2020 General Election would be utterly disenfranchised. Such a request should then be accompanied by clear and conclusive facts to support the alleged ‘egregious range of conduct in Maricopa County and other Arizona counties . . . at the direction of Arizona state election officials,” U.S. District Judge Diane Joyce Humetewa began. “Yet the Complaint’s allegations are sorely wanting of relevant or reliable evidence, and Plaintiffs’ invocation of this Court’s limited jurisdiction is severely strained. Therefore, for the reasons stated herein, the Complaint shall be dismissed.”

The judge said she was left with “no alternative but to dismiss this matter in its entirety” because “gossip and innuendo” don’t cut it in court.

“Not only have Plaintiffs failed to provide the Court with factual support for their extraordinary claims, but they have wholly failed to establish that they have standing for the Court to consider them. Allegations that find favor in the public sphere of gossip and innuendo cannot be a substitute for earnest pleadings and procedure in federal court,” the judge concluded. “They most certainly cannot be the basis for upending Arizona’s 2020 General Election.”

During the hearing, Humetewa grilled Julia Haller, a lawyer at Powell’s firm, about the factual basis for her massive conspiracy theory involving Dominion Voting Systems, an alleged plot involving offshore servers and sinister algorithms.

“What declaration points to that significant tampering with the tally?” Humetewa asked.

Haller pointed to “Exhibit 13,” a declaration by an anonymous witness whose identity they refuse to disclose to the public. Another declaration uses a confidential witness code-named “Spyder.”

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs’s counsel Justin Nelson contextualized the case as a part of a national campaign of delegitimization: “After the election, however, this country has seen a proliferation of suits that seek to challenge the results.”

Powell’s latest defeat follows a two humiliating losses hours apart on Monday, in Michigan and Georgia.

In the Wolverine State, U.S. District Judge Linda Parker called Powell’s quest an affront to the democratic idea.

“The right to vote is among the most sacred rights of our democracy and, in turn, uniquely defines us as Americans,” Parker’s 36-page opinion stated. “The struggle to achieve the right to vote is one that has been both hard fought and cherished throughout our country’s history. Local, state, and federal elections give voice to this right through the ballot. And elections that count each vote celebrate and secure this cherished right.”

“The People have spoken,” Parker added later in the opinion, referring to the election.

In the Peach State, U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, an appointee of George W. Bush, also slammed the request as breathtaking.

“The relief that the plaintiffs seek, this court cannot grant,” Batten ruled from the bench after a roughly hour-long hearing, wherein he called the bid “the most extraordinary relief ever sought” for an election in a court.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Spain and Morocco Trade Blame After 72,000 Migrants Enter Ceuta
Met Police Investigated Journalist Who Questioned Cambridge Professor
Badenoch Defends Tory Candidate Jailed for Antisemitic Abuse of Luciana Berger
NHS Spends £240m a Year Storing Paper Records Despite Digital Push
Apple Seeks Court Order to Stop OpenAI Using Alleged Trade Secrets
Breaking With the Past: One of the World’s Smallest Countries Changes Its Name
AI Is Remaking the US Economy, From GDP Growth to iPhone Prices
Comcast: Tied to a Chair and Hit in the Face With Cake: The Regular Humiliation Ritual at the US Corporate Giant
Aston Martin Faces Legal Threat Over £550m Rescue Deal
Conservative Party and Reform UK Face Growing Scrutiny Over Political Transparency
GMB and Public Sector Unions Prepare for Wider Debate Over Government Priorities
UK Government Faces Pressure to Address National Water Infrastructure Failures
NHS Radiographers Report Rising Racist Abuse From Patients
Breast Cancer Experts Call for Overhaul of NHS Diagnostic Approach
UK Government Reviews Prison Policy After Debate Over Capacity and Public Safety
Nigel Farage Faces Questions Over Leadership Discussions and Five Million Pound Donation
Conservative Party Faces Candidate Controversy Over Former Antisemitic Activist
UK Energy Industry Pushes for Greater Role for Domestic Oil and Gas Production
Gatwick Expansion Debate Continues as Airport Prepares for Second Runway Construction
Reform UK Wants the Royal Navy to Return Channel Boats to France
Government Faces Pressure Over Charity Funding Linked to Illegal Israeli Settlements
UK Fire Chiefs Demand Ban on Disposable Barbecues During Severe Drought
Medical Review Warns Current Breast Cancer Guidelines Miss Many Young Women
NHS Mental Health Trust Announces Twenty-Five Million Pound Service Cuts
MI6 Rated Europe’s Most Capable Foreign Intelligence Service in International Review
UK Watchdog Finds Serious Failures in Electronic Offender Monitoring System
BP Chief Warns UK Must Protect Domestic Oil and Gas Capacity
Water Supply Crisis Threatens England’s Housing Expansion Plans
UK Government Rewrites Procurement Rules to Prioritise Jobs Over Environmental Targets
English Channel Rescue Operation Saves One Hundred Seventy-Three Migrants After Boat Capsizes
Gatwick Airport Wins Legal Approval for Second Runway Expansion
UK Government Tightens Early Prison Release Scheme After Public Backlash Over Offender Freedoms
US and Japan Step In to Support the Yen in Rare Joint Intervention
The AI Pricing Problem: Companies Cannot Predict Their Own Bills
Europe’s Heat and Drought Are Now Disrupting Power, Shipping and Tourism
Apple’s OpenAI Lawsuit Becomes a Public Fight Over AI Hardware
UK Man Jailed After Keeping His Mother’s Body in a Freezer and Claiming £78,000
A SpaceX Rocket Is About to Crash Into the Moon — and Scientists Hope to Watch
World War II munitions discovered after wildfires in southern France
BP profits reach four-year high amid Middle East conflict
Europe’s Drying Rivers Trigger Power Cuts, Factory Shutdowns and Wildfire Emergencies
UK Driver Sentenced to Four Years for Staged Electric Vehicle Brake Failure Fraud
Conservative Party and Reform UK Face Scrutiny During Clacton By-Election Campaign
Ministry of Justice Reviews Early Release Rules After Public Anger Over Police Killer Cases
NHS Radiographers Report Rising Racist Abuse From Patients Across UK Hospitals
UK Banking Regulators Face Pressure After Customer Loses Fourteen Thousand Pounds in AI Voice Scam
Research Challenges Treasury Control Over UK Public Spending and Calls for Greater Local Decision-Making
Home Office Begins Four-Week Weapons Surrender Campaign Across Major English Cities
Southern England Records Driest July in Nearly Two Centuries as Drought Concerns Grow
Apple Challenges UK Government Request for Access to Encrypted User Data in Legal Fight
×