Maricopa County Recorder Attempted to Have Conservative ASU Professor Fired over Social Media Posts, Lawsuit Claims

We the People AZ Alliance (WPAA), represented by Kari Lake’s former attorney Bryan Blehm, filed a lawsuit last week against outgoing Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, demanding records related to Richer allegedly attempting to get a conservative Arizona State University (ASU) professor fired and disciplined by the State Bar of Arizona. WPAA requested an email between Richer and the States United Democracy Center (SUDC), concerned that the far-left activist group was aiding Richer in his attempt to get Aaron Ludwig fired.

The complaint asserted, “On July 31, 2022, Defendant Richer, acting as Maricopa County Recorder, sent an email to the Directors of ASU’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice seeking to have a faculty associate terminated from ASU for sharing a Tweet. … Defendant’s email also shows that the Recorder, in his capacity as Maricopa County Recorder, intended to seek sanctions against the faculty member through the State Bar of Arizona as the faculty member was also an attorney licensed to practice law in Arizona.”

The complaint included a copy of the email that Richer sent to ASU about Ludwig, who previously worked in the Arizona Attorney General’s Office as section chief responsible for prosecuting racketeering and asset forfeiture to dismantle organized crime and nine years as a Maricopa County Superior Court judge pro tem. He currently teaches criminal law, white-collar crime, and organized crime at ASU.

Richer said in his email to ASU, “I ask that you assess if he is fit to be a part of the ASU faculty. He is a regular purveyor of election disinformation and misinformation.” Richer singled out posts on X by Ludwig, which criticized the behavior of two Maricopa County Elections employees.

Read the rest of the article at The Arizona Sun Times
Subscribe to email updates from the Arizona Sun Times

Aaron Ludwig by is licensed under