Following a hearing on Wednesday, a judge lifted a restraining order State Senator Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff) obtained against a “woke” journalist for showing up at her home repeatedly and talking to her neighbors after she had been instructed by the Arizona Senate to stay away from Rogers.
Flagstaff Justice of the Peace Howard Grodman, who was previously suspended for numerous ethical violations and who has ties to the Coconino County Democratic Party, said that even though the actions of Arizona Capitol Times reporter Camryn Sanchez were considered harassment by Rogers, they wouldn’t be considered harassment by a “reasonable person.”
However, Grodman signaled he would not likely award attorneys fees against Rogers. “I think she was genuinely harassed, annoyed, and felt violated. I don’t want to deter others from bringing claims,” he said.
In his opinion declining to continue the Injunction Against Harassment (IAH), Grodman compared Sanchez’s actions to a candidate knocking on doors to collect signatures – something the judge noted he did when he ran for office.
Ignoring the fact Sanchez had been told to stay away from Rogers, the judge added it would have been different if Rogers had made it clear that she did not want Sanchez showing up at her home or had a “No Trespassing” sign posted.
After Judge Grodman made that distinction, Rogers’ attorney, William Fischbach, told the court that he was taking the opportunity to declare that Rogers did not want Sanchez coming to her residence ever again.
An attorney who is familiar with the proceedings said he believed the decision was a win for Rogers.
“Now, every member of the state legislature has a useful roadmap of avoiding harassment,” he said. “Everyone in the legislature can go buy a ‘No Trespassing’ sign. Sanchez and other journalists have been put on notice. And the legislature should consider revising the rules governing credentials. Required decorum of journalists doesn’t end when they leave the Senate.”
The hearing included direct examinations and cross-examinations of Rogers and Sanchez. Three state senators showed up to support Rogers. The examinations of Rogers and Sanchez brought out that Sanchez was instructed by the Senate Sergeant of Arms Joe Kubacki earlier this year not to approach Rogers at her desk, or she could lose her journalist credentials.
Kim Quintero, the spokesperson for the Senate Majority, also told Sanchez to stay away from Rogers and said Rogers would not respond to her questions about her residency. However, Sanchez said that Quintero only told her to stay away from Rogers’ desk. After that, Sanchez showed up at Rogers’ home in Chandler twice, including once after her dark, and her home in Tempe once, and spoke with her neighbors and electrician.
Sanchez gave conflicting responses about her reasons for showing up at Rogers’ homes, at first appearing to deny that she wanted to speak to her, but on cross-examination admitting she did. She said she was investigating the amount Rogers had submitted for mileage reimbursement since she’d heard a rumor that Rogers’ primary residence was not in Flagstaff.
When asked on examination about it, Rogers responded, “Flagstaff is my primary residence.” Rogers represents a district that stretches across much of the state, encompassing parts of four counties, and she bought her home in Chandler in order to be able to use the nearby hangar to fly an airplane throughout her district. Rogers is a retired, highly decorated Air Force pilot, who was one of the first 100 women pilots in the Air Force. Rogers previously provided The Sun Times with numerous pieces of evidence showing she has lived in Flagstaff since 2015.
Fischbach informed Sanchez that the Arizona Secretary of State issued an opinion in 2020 in response to a complaint stating there was not an issue with Rogers’ residency. Sanchez responded and said that was the first she’d heard of that opinion.
Fischbach asked her, “Does the First Amendment give you permission to trespass on private property?” Sanchez responded, “I have never Googled that.”
In his closing statement, Fischbach pointed out that Sanchez had many other options. “Nothing restricts her from reporting, making public records requests, knocking on neighbors’ doors — although they’d probably find it annoying themselves,” he said. Sanchez admitted she didn’t write an article about Rogers’ residency.
After the hearing concluded, Jordan Conradson, a reporter with The Gateway Pundit, went to Grodman’s home to ask him some questions about the decision. Grodman was not home, but Conradson spoke with his neighbors.
In an audio clip of the encounter provided to The Sun Times from Conradson, he asked one of the neighbors what she thought about the decision. The neighbor identified herself as a lawyer and said she was a little familiar with the issue and agreed that journalists should be able to show up at homes to interview people. She laughed when she realized Conradson was showing up at Grodman’s home to interview him.
Grodman was suspended by the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct (ACJC) in 2014 for campaign finance violations, which violated numerous judicial ethics rules. The ACJC found six aggravating factors and removed him from the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee.
Watch the hearing:
– – –
Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Wendy Rogers Hearing” by Rightside Broadcasting Network.
