Democratic Rep.-elect for Arizona’s 7th congressional district, Adelita Grijalva, is yet to be sworn in, despite having won the district’s special election over a month ago on Sept. 23, 2025. This is reportedly the longest that a winner of a special House election has ever had to wait to be sworn into their position. The incident has sparked immense backlash directed towards the current speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, over his refusal to swear Grijalva in. With Johnson continuing to double down despite backlash, Arizona’s Attorney General, Kris Mayes, has decided to file a lawsuit, in hopes of pushing for the CD-7 elect to finally be allowed to enter office.
Johnson, whose position as House Speaker requires that he swear in any incoming Rep.-elects according to History.house, has cited the ongoing government shutdown as being the reason behind this delay. Johnson has stated that since Grijalva won her election after the House went out of session on Sept. 19, and since the shutdown has kept the house out of regular session, he has been prevented from swearing Grijalva in a timely manner. However, it is important to note that Johnson has intentionally kept the house out of regular session in order to put pressure on House-Democrats amid the shutdown. As stated by The Hill, Johnson has reportedly canceled up to five weeks of votes in the House that had been previously scheduled. This has been the longest recess within the House since the 2024 election, under Johnson’s jurisdiction.
Furthermore, Grijalva stated during an interview with Mary Harris on Slate’s “What’s Next” that Johnson had sworn in 3 other newly elected representatives within 24 hours of their election just before Grijalva herself began prepping for her inauguration. Furthermore, she stated that the shutdown is a “nonissue”, as there was an entire class in congress that was sworn in during the 2019 government shutdown. These statements have led to further questioning about the validity of Johnson’s insistence that the shutdown is to blame for the delay.
Grijalva stated in the aforementioned interview that she is currently in a state of “limbo”, because until she is sworn in, she does not have the authority or powers of a congressperson. This hold up has been and will continue to be a detriment to her community, especially in the midst of the government shutdown. Grijalva stated on “What’s Next” that she has been unable to ready herself and her office to “help constituents that are struggling” during the shutdown, specifically with the pause on SNAP benefits. The broader reason behind why this postponement is frustrating to so many is that, as it stands, the people of CD-7 do not have a voice in the House of Representatives, which is a constitutional provision that must be upheld for each district in the U.S.
Johnson has received a great amount of public backlash, facing accusations that the real reason behind the delay is that Grijalva is a democrat and would be the 218th signature on the discharge petition for the Epstein Files. To this, Johnson insisted that this delay has nothing to do with her party of the discharge petition and once again insisted that it has everything to do with the House being out of regular session.
To many, Arizona’s lawsuit came as no surprise, as the frustration from Grijalva, her team, and the citizens of CD-7 has been palpable. Two weeks before the filing of the lawsuit, Mayes sent a letter to Johnson stating that if he did not swear Grijalva in, she would sue. Since Johnson did not respond to the demand, the lawsuit was filed. According to The Guardian, Mayes stated in a press release that “By blocking Adelite Grjalva from taking her rightful oath of office, [Johnson] is subjecting Arizona’s seventh congressional district to taxation without representation”, and that she would not stand by and allow that to happen. Johnson was quick to brush off the lawsuit as “patently absurd”, according to CNN.
It is vital that each state has an adequate number of representatives in the House who can advocate for them and their needs behind the closed doors of the government. This is a directive that is outlined in the Constitution. As stated by CNN, for as long as Grijalva is not sworn into her position in the House, citizens of Arizona’s 7th congressional district, which encompasses the majority of southern Arizona cities including Tucson, are lacking a member in Congress who can represent their specific interests. Grijalva herself has made it clear that she will continue to push for her appointment until she is finally allowed into her seat in Congress.
