Arizona state Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, a Democrat, has been formally censured by the Arizona State House of Representatives for hiding several Bibles as a “prank.”
“In April, Stahl Hamilton, of Tucson, was videotaped placing two Bibles underneath couch cushions in the lounge of the state House of Representatives. She also placed a Bible in a refrigerator,” according to the Arizona Mirror.
Watch:
CAUGHT ON VIDEO: AZ Dem lawmaker/ordained minister busted swiping Bibles from House’s members-only lounge. She calls it a ‘ little playful commentary’ for separation of church and state, Republican leadership are not laughing. #azfamily pic.twitter.com/pSPth8jeR7
— David Caltabiano (@DavidCaltabiano) April 25, 2023
After being caught, she apologized on the state House floor and claimed she’d just been trying to make a cute point about the separation between church and state:
“At the time, it felt like a simple little prank. In my brain, I felt like it’s a game. It’s just a peaceful, playful, protest of why we have religious books – just one – in a government building,” she later reportedly added in a statement to reporters.
Her Republican colleagues weren’t convinced.
“I think it’s a red herring. To me, this is a total joke, decoy. I’ll just be honest about it. So please explain to me what was violated when it comes to the separation of church and state by having a Bible on a table,” state Rep. Travis Grantham, a Republican, told station KJZZ at the time.
“You don’t understand why she’s so angry about a holy book that many of us feel very close [to] and rule our lives by. The separation of church and state has nothing to do with this except for the misinterpretation she sees there,” state Rep. Gail Griffin, a Republican, reportedly added.
Subsequently, three Republican lawmakers filed a formal ethics complaint against Hamilton accusing her of theft and disorderly conduct, sparking complaints from Democrats.
“This could have been handled with a phone call by the speaker and the majority. It didn’t have to be a political gotcha moment,” state House Minority Leader Andrés Cano, a Democrat, told Arizona PBS last month.
Fast-forward to last Friday, when the state House Ethics Committee ruled against her.
“House Ethics members, comprised of three Republicans and two Democrats, unanimously came to the conclusion that Stahl-Hamilton engaged in disorderly behavior. Reps. Joe Chaplik, R-Scottsdale; Travis Grantham, R-Gilbert; Gail Griffin, R-Hereford; Jennifer Longdon, D-Phoenix; and Christopher Mathis, D-Tucson are on the committee,” according to Arizona Capitol Times.
“Representative Stahl Hamilton could have placed the Bibles on a bookshelf or even placed them on the Sergeant at Arms’ desk after removing them from their usual places and still accomplished her stated goal,” a report written by the committee reads.
“Her choice was not only disrespectful to the Bible itself but was deeply offensive to those Members who revere the Bible as their holy text,” it continues.
Based on this ruling, Republicans then sought to both censure and expel Hamilton but were only successful with the censure.
The expulsion effort failed in part because of “no” votes from legislators like state Rep. Kolodin, who was one of four Republicans who voted against it.
Motion to expel Rep Stephanie Stahl Hamilton requires 40 votes. It failed, 27-31, with 4 GOP reps, Cook, Hendrix, Kolodin, & Payne, joining D’s in voting no. pic.twitter.com/7yEFx4vTGw
— Capitol Watchdogs (@CapitolWatchdo2) June 13, 2023
Republicans would have reportedly also needed at least 11 Democrats to cross the aisle and vote with them to expel Hamilton.
Given the fact that she didn’t even show up to her hearing, expulsion is on the table. But for expulsion you need a 2/3rds majority. Which means we need atleast 11 democrats to support it & doubt they will do so. We will see once the Committee issues it’s report.
— Az State Rep. Justin Heap (@azjustinheap) May 27, 2023
In explaining to the Arizona Mirror why he’d voted against expulsion, Kolodin cited how bad he’d felt when he’d recently voted to expel another legislator, Republican state Rep. Liz Harris.
“The Ethics Committee found Harris guilty of disorderly conduct for orchestrating a February meeting in which a member of the public spread wild conspiracy theories about public officials, and then lying about it to the Ethics Committee,” the Mirror notes.
“Kolodin said he believed that the government should be run by the representatives elected by the voters, and therefore the House should not overturn the decision of the voters. He added that he did not necessarily believe that Harris did anything wrong, and that Stahl Hamilton’s offense was much worse,” according to the Mirror.
What’s interesting about the Harris connection is that Hamilton was the one who’d filed the complaint against her. Because of this, it appears she and her team think her censure/expulsion attempt was motivated by a desire for revenge.
“[H]er lawyer Domingo DeGrazia said he believed Stahl-Hamilton is facing ‘political retribution’ from Republicans,” according to the Capitol Times.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
- Police officers exposed illegal alien fraud in CT years ago, Obama’s DOJ put them in prison for it - March 19, 2026
- DISGUSTING! 186 Democrats just voted AGAINST deporting foreigners who DEFRAUD America - March 19, 2026
- Paradise turns dangerous, but cover up is worse: ‘It is ridiculous to claim Dubai is safe’ - March 18, 2026
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.