A judge on Thursday said he's not ready to cite the Arizona Senate and Karen Fann, its president, for contempt of court.

An organization that won a legal battle with the Senate over audit-related records is now asking a judge to hold Senate President Karen Fann in contempt -- and possibly jail her -- for failing to comply with the court order.

Maricopa County will avoid losing nearly $700 million in state-shared revenue and the Arizona Senate will be able to pose the questions it has about previously withheld materials that it subpoenaed for its review of the 2020 election results in the county. 

Democratic state Sen. Kirsten Engel resigned September 8 to focus on her congressional campaign in an open southern Arizona seat.

When the Arizona audit began, the public had two avenues to receive information – former Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett and the Arizona Audit Twitter account – three months later, it has neither.

In letting the Senate’s audit drag on as auditors demand more subpoenaed materials, Senate President Karen Fann has managed to delay a fight within her caucus over how to handle the eventual results.

The Arizona Senate’s election audit has become a fundraising tool for candidates and state parties since it began in April, and the past three months have shown Republicans coming out on top.

The Arizona Senate doesn’t have to produce records for its election audit because they aren’t in the physical custody of the chamber, the Senate’s attorney said Wednesday in court.

Thirty-three Democratic state senators and House members are calling on the state’s congressional delegation to support Washington, D.C., statehood, in advance of a June 22 U.S. Senate hearing on the topic.

Maricopa County is taking the first steps to what could be a lawsuit against the Senate.