PHOENIX — Republican State Rep. Alexander Kolodin has accepted discipline by the State Bar of Arizona for his role as an attorney in failed lawsuits related to the 2020 election results.
According to documents released by the State Bar, Kolodin violated prohibitions on "conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice" and bringing "a proceeding, or assert or controvert an issue therein, unless there is a good faith basis in law and fact for doing so that is not frivolous."
Kolodin accepted an admonition and probation for 18 months, pending his completion of five legal education courses on ethics.
Kolodin provided this statement to 12News:
"It has been well documented that the people who filed these complaints are radical left wing activists. It is unfortunate that the Bar's effort to keep lawyers honest is being gamed by political operatives. I was happy to have the opportunity to protect my team and give them the opportunity to put this matter behind them."
The Bar investigation covered four lawsuits involving Kolodin, including a defamation suit filed against then Democratic House Leader Charlene Fernandez.
The court found the 2021 lawsuit, brought by then-State Rep. Mark Finchem, former State Rep. Anthony Kern and Congressman Paul Gosar, was "filed against a political opponent primarily for the purposes of harassment." Plaintiffs were ordered to pay more than $75,000 in attorneys' fees and court costs.
In December 2020, Kolodin was a lawyer on a lawsuit filed by the Republican Party's 11 fake electors and county GOP officials. They sought to eliminate mail-in ballots from counting in the 2020 election or direct Arizona's electors to be "directed to vote for Donald Trump."
Federal Judge Diane Humetewa said the lawsuit was based on "anonymous witnesses, hearsay, and irrelevant analysis."
"Allegations that find favor in the public sphere of gossip and innuendo ... most certainly cannot be the basis for upending Arizona's 2020 General Election."
The disclosure of the Bar's sanctions against Kolodin comes the same week the State Bar got the go-ahead to file formal complaints against three lawyers who represented former candidate for governor Kari Lake. The complaints could lead to disciplinary action.
The State Bar still has an open investigation of election-related conduct by former Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich.
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