How is it possible that newly elected Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva

[malaise]

has still not been sworn in?
How the fuck is this obstruction even legal?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. MaddowBlog-The brewing fight over Adelita Grijalva's congressional swearing-in and the Epstein files

The Arizona Democrat will be the 218th signature on a discharge petition on the Jeffrey Epstein files. Will this lead GOP leaders to delay her swearing-in?

The brewing fight over Adelita Grijalva’s congressional swearing-in and the Epstein files | The Arizona Democrat will be the 218th signature on a discharge petitio... | www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

— CHBstills (@chbstills.bsky.social) 2025-09-30T06:07:15.534Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/brewing-fight-adelita-grijalvas-congressional-swearing-epstein-files-rcna234511

All the Arizonan has to do is wait for the chamber to return from its current break, at which point she can take the oath of office. With that outcome hanging in the balance, The Arizona Republic reported:

Democrat Adelita Grijalva has for months been on a glide path to become Arizona’s next member of Congress. But now that she’s been elected, as the U.S. House stares down a government funding standoff and a bombshell measure related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a political fight is brewing around when exactly Grijalva will be sworn in.

At the heart of the matter is a question about how best to deal with routine electoral bureaucracy.

In theory, Grijalva could be sworn in as Congress’ newest member on Oct. 7, the day members get back to work. This would be consistent with standard practice, including recent developments with Democratic Rep. James Walkinshaw of Virginia, who was declared the unofficial winner of his special election and was sworn days later......

The House speaker’s office hasn’t elaborated on its plans, saying only that the chamber would wait for the “appropriate paperwork.” But as a practical matter, Congress has already received the appropriate paperwork: Arizona Secretary of State’s Office notified the House clerk last week that Grijalva is the unofficial election winner based on the lopsided results.

Under standard practices, that should be plenty. “This documentation has been sufficient to swear in multiple members of Congress,” a spokesperson for the Democrats on the House Administration Committee told the Arizona Republic.

Will the Speaker’s Office agree? Is there a reason Johnson is being coy about this? Watch this space.

[malaise]

8. Why he wanted no votes

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220687901

[Bev54]

10. I guess that is why he wants to go on break in the middle of a government shut down.

[Wednesdays]

2. Amen.

If they can hold it up for a few days, what's to stop them from holding it up for two years?

[markodochartaigh]

3. I'm shocked

that our national media, that the Republican colleagues of Democratic members of Congress, that the supreme court, and tens of millions of Republican voters, all of whom would swear their commitment to democracy, are not clamoring for Speaker Johnson to immediately seat the Congressperson. Maybe they are busy sorting their socks.

[ananda]

4. What happened with the Writ of Mandemus?

Did she get one?

[onenote]

30. No court would grant one at this point in time and she hasn't asked for one.

Mandamus is an extraordinary remedy that can't be used to force an official to take action that is discretionary. And while swearing in a newly elected member after a special election isn't totally discretionary, the timing of it is not dictated by law and while sometimes the swearing in occurs quickly (and even during a recess) there also is precedent for waiting until the House is back in session -- indeed, Johnson did that twice with repub special election winners last year.

[ananda]

35. I don't like it. I mean..

what's the point of an election if you don't
get to serve your full term (or maybe even
at all).

This is so crazy.

[Wiz Imp]

5. The House is not currently in session and hasn't been since September 19.

Her election was on September 22. The House doesn't technically need to be in regular session to swear someone in. But in this case, with the House not in regular session, there's not a significant impact of delaying because no regular votes are being taken. Yes it delays the vote on releasing the Epstein files, but only by a few days and assuming it passes the House, will move onto the Senate where it will likely sit with no action for a long time.

I'm not defending the Republicans. This is petty and vindictive shit which we've come to expect from Republicans. But ultimately, the impact is minimal.

The House returns to session on October 7. She should be sworn in then. She can't legally be blocked for being sworn in and Johnson has said she will be sworn in when the House returns to regular session on October 7. The shutdown will not impact that.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5529055-republicans-grijalva-swearing-in-house/

A spokesperson for the Speaker’s office, though, indicated that Grijalva will be sworn in when the House returns to regular session — currently scheduled for Oct. 7.

[liberalgunwilltravel]

12. The goal is to delay the vote as long as possible

So they have time to threaten the lives of the members, especially the Republicans, who won't tow Trump's line. That's why the delay matters.

[Wiz Imp]

15. The delay will make no difference with that

Democrats aren't going to change their mind no matter the pressure. And if Boebert, Greene or Mace are going to flip, I'm sure they've already made that decision.

[liberalgunwilltravel]

41. It's not the Democrats who will flip

But trusting Republicans is a fool’s errand.

[mikewv]

34. Thank You

I also read that the earliest would be October 7. Facts are sometimes inconvenient.

[Wiz Imp]

36. If she isn't sworn in on October 7, then everyone needs to raise holy hell

In the meantime, Johnson is simply trying to exploit a technicality that allows him to delay for a short time. Sure it's a scummy thing to do, but in the long run, the impact is minimal.

[gab13by13]

39. I read that is what usually happens

but her victory won't be certified for several weeks even though she won by a blowout.

Johnson could hold up her swearing in on a technicality.

[Conjuay]

6. I was under the impression that a federal judge

Could swear her in, and leave Johnson completely out of the loop.

[QueerDuck]

7. Lord, I hope that's correct. Let's get this done.

[onenote]

16. That is not correct.

[GiqueCee]

9. Weaseldick Johnson...

... don't need no stinkin' Writ of Mandamus! Rules aren't written to inconvenience Republicans! They're written to hamstring Democrats! Just ask Moscow Mitch!

[Figarosmom]

11. Its time for her district to sue for

Loss of representation, I'd think.

[Seinan Sensei]

13. Taxation without representation

[Botany]

14. How is it possible that a newly elected Congresswoman has still not been sworn in?

Answer. Republicans have to cheat.

See below:

https://thiswillhold.substack.com/p/she-won-part-x-vr-systems-151-fake

In Florida in 2024 thousands of ballots were rejected when the computer marked that
the voter had not provided I.D. but in fact they had provided I.D. but the computer flipped
to say they had not provided an I.D..

[Javaman]

17. Because tiny johnson is terrified

My tinfoil hat prediction is 2 things

1) they will never come back in session, the gov shuts down and the orange asshole rules himself king

2) they come back in session and tiny johnson never swears her in.

[Maru Kitteh]

18. tiny johnson

Outstanding.

[Wiz Imp]

37. You want to place a wager on either of those 2 predictions?

Neither one of them is going to happen.

[TNNurse]

19. We have a criminal goverment.

[Warpy]

20. Time to remove Marshmallow Mike

Democrats might even have the votes.

[flashman13]

21. The word legal has no meaning to the MAGAts.

[Mblaze]

22. It's the Mitch McConnell precedent.

[ReRe]

23. I call it the "McConnell Effect". n/t

[FakeNoose]

24. It's further proof that the Repukes cannot govern

The legislative and administrative branches are almost completely kaput.
The judicial branch has seen better days, but it's really trying to hang on.

[LiberalArkie]

25. Malaise: Does the Secretary of State in Arizona have to certify the special election?

[malaise]

26. Good question

I’ll let an expert respond. - looking it up

[LiberalArkie]

27. I kept looking and finally found it.

When will Grijalva be sworn in?

Soon after Grijalva was elected, a political fight began brewing over her swearing-in.

Arizona officials won't formally certify the election until Oct. 14, but Grijalva and other Democrats argue she can be sworn in sooner, using the unofficial results.

The day after Grijalva's election, the timeline was still unclear. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Lousiana, responsible for scheduling the swearing-in, was quiet on the matter.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/who-is-adelita-grijalva-and-when-will-she-take-office-what-to-know/ar-AA1Nhwvk?ocid=BingNewsSerp

[FakeNoose]

28. She won by such a whopping majority that there shouldn't be any questions

This is all on Mike "Over My Dead Body" Johnson - who really, really doesn't want to talk about Adelita Grijalva.

[LiberalArkie]

33. Probably won't be, but there are rules (thank god). We are the party of rules.

[malaise]

31. Thanks

[Wiz Imp]

38. No. The winner in Virginia in early September and the 2 in Florida in April

were sworn in the day after the election before the results were certified. Waiting for certification is not unreasonable in a close election, but all the Special elections have been blowouts.

Johnson is using a technicality that the House is not in Regular session as an excuse to delay. They return to Regular Session on October 7 and Johnson has already said she will be sworn in on that date.

[Crunchy Frog]

29. I guess that will be the republican strategy from here on.

They just won't swear in any Democrat who gets elected.

It won't matter whether it's legal because no one will stop them.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

32. Here:

[usonian]

40. Legislature shut down to prevent motion to release Epstein Files

Repost







He's a cornered rat.

What does the cornered rat fear?