State Sen. Justine Wadsack pleaded not guilty to speeding Tuesday at her arraignment at Tucson City Court.
Wadsack was clocked in March driving a red Tesla 71 miles per hour on East Speedway near North Euclid Avenue, 36 miles over the posted speed limit, Tucson police have said.
In July, four months after the stop, Wadsack was charged with excessive speeding and a failure to provide proof of insurance.
State Sen. Justine Wadsack, right, and her attorney Brad Miller talk to reporters Tuesday following her arraignment in a misdemeanor speeding case in Tucson City Court downtown.
Legislative immunity, which protects state elected officials from being cited or arrested while in legislative session, led to the delay in the citation.
Wadsack, who lost her primary election run, asked supporters on social media Monday to go to the courthouse for her hearing. There was no large crowd at the hearing.
In the months leading up to her arraignment, Wadsack has claimed “political persecution” and refused to sign the criminal citation, according to police.
“Lawfare is occurring at all levels of our Government in Arizona,” Wadsack told followers Monday in a post on X. "Currently, the Attorney General is prosecuting Republicans for exercising their God-given 1st Amendment rights. Now, the City of Tucson is prosecuting me in direct violation of the Arizona Constitution and the City of Tucson’s own policies,” read the post
Wadsack is scheduled to be back in court for a pretrial conference on Oct 28.
