More than dozen defendants accused of trying to overturn 2020 presidential election results in

right now more than a dozen defendants accused of trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in our swing state facing a judge today so we do have a live look right now this is at the Maricopa County superior court over in Phoenix as a judge here's arguments on whether or not to toss out the case let's see if we can take a quick listen in that it can't meet the probable cause standard but it was designed drafted and enacted because of cases in those States in which the the elector issues have Arisen I don't question I don't sit around wondering why the legislature passes what they do because I happen to believe in the way we're all set up and it's the legislator's determination about policy and laws and our job to implement and interpret those but it's worth it to have you at least respond to that that this was earmarked legislation to all right so it seems like they still have a lot to go over and our news for Tu s's political specialist Eric Fink has been listening throughout the trial following everything from this morning and Eric is in downtown right now with the very latest on this to break it down for us well Monica all 16 defendants today appearing either in court physically or virtually some of those dependant defendants rather asking the judge to dismiss the charges but here in this case judge Bruce coh setting a trial date for January 5th 2026 some 16 months from now now this all stems back to a day back in December 20120 weeks before January 6th and weeks after President Joe Biden won Arizona by a little more than 10,000 votes in the last presidential election this is the first critical Hearing in this case since a grand jury handed down an indictment on charges of conspiracy forgery and fraud back in April the indictment alleges the defendants engaged in an election interference scheme to overturn the 2020 election results in Arizona 11 of these individuals met in Phoenix in December 2020 and signed a document falsely claiming former president Trump won the State of Arizona it was President Joe Biden who won Arizona's 11 electoral votes four years ago the grand jury did not indict former president Trump among those defendants former president Trump's onetime attorney Rudy Giuliani Trump's former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and two Republican state senators in court the lawyer for Mr Giuliani claimed the case is politically motivated as this case was brought by Democratic State Attorney General Chris Mays I mean this is a prosecution brought by Democrat prosecutor uh and they're trying to weave it together to manufacture a crime when there really is no crime here this was brought by a republican prosecutor would be any more valid or less valid I don't know why that matters should matter to me what party I think a lot of people think that another way to think about it is this lot of people think a lot of things I'm asking you made the comment this was a prosecution brought by a democratic prosecutor right against Republican Arizona Superior Court Judge Bruce Cohen pointing out it doesn't work that way there have been Republicans prosecuted by Republicans there's been Democrats prosecuted by democrats I was appointed by a Democrat and I was a republican when I got appointed by a Democrat what bearing does that have on anything and I'm just trying to trying to leave the noise outside the courtroom and let the law rule the courtroom and again as you heard a moment ago this hearing is still going on up in Phoenix will'll have the latest coming up at 5:00 now earlier this month another def defendant Jenna Ellis a lawyer for former president Trump's campaign in 2020 agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in this case in exchange for the charges being dropped against her we're live this afternoon downtown I'm Eric fank news4 tucon all right Eric thank you for that up