A judge has ordered the Arizona attorney general's office to conduct a second review of text messages recovered from Arizona Corporation Commission member Bob Stump's cellphone to determine if any are public records that should be released.
Friday's order from Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Randall Warner came nearly two months after a retired judge who reviewed the messages determined none were public.
The Washington, D.C.-area Checks and Balances Project has been trying to access Stump's messages for a year.
The group has suggested that Stump illegally coordinated with two Republican friends and independent political groups that spent $3.2 million to get them elected to the commission in 2014. Stump denies the involvement.
Warner ordered the attorney general to review the messages along with Stump and provide any that may be considered public records to him. He refused to order a new inspection of the phone itself.
Warner also dismissed part of the lawsuit seeking a declaration that Stump failed to preserve public records.
