Law & Government
Relaunched program will help rural and tribal communities tap into cash for infrastructure projects
Rural and tribal communities in Arizona that are looking to develop infrastructure projects to support their communities now have access to financial assistance to help complete them. Gov. Katie Hobbs, the Office of Economic Opportunity and the Arizona Finance Authority relaunched the Greater Arizona Development Authority (GADA) this week with a new round of financial […]
Grijalva pushes for creation of Great Bend of the Gila National Monument in southern Arizona
To protect more than 370,000 acres of the Great Bend of the Gila and Sonoran Desert Landscape, a Democratic congressman from Tucson has introduced legislation to establish a new national monument in southern Arizona. “The Great Bend of the Gila is a sacred place rich with history and deeply significant to all the communities connected […]
Judge rules that ‘Tipped Workers Protection Act’ will stay on November ballot
A judge has ruled that Proposition 138, also known as the “Tipped Workers Protection Act” will remain on the ballot for the November election. Raise the Wage AZ, a political action committee that advocates for wage increases for service workers, challenged Prop. 138 in court back in June, claiming that it was “sufficiently deceptive to […]
GOP ballot measure to curb emergency powers will have real life consequences
The overall purpose of an emergency declaration at the state level is to provide the government with the authority and resources needed to respond swiftly and effectively to crises that threaten public safety and health. This declaration allows the governor and state agencies to implement measures that are not typically permissible under normal circumstances. Many […]
Mayes wins extended delay of Civil War-era abortion law ruling to mull appeal to U.S. Supreme Court
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has further delayed the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision to revive a near-total abortion ban from 1864 — and she’s still eyeing an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Since the Arizona Supreme Court’s bombshell ruling that the Civil War-era law could once again be enforced earlier this year, the law […]
AZ Supreme Court justice recuses in abortion ballot measure lawsuit where his wife is a defendant
An Arizona Supreme Court justice whose wife was on the legislative panel being sued for using “unborn human being” to describe the Arizona Abortion Access Act in a voter information pamphlet has decided to step away from the case. In a Wednesday court order, Justice Clint Bolick agreed to recuse himself from the lawsuit, which […]
Data privacy after Dobbs: Is period tracking safe?
After the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022 and abortion was banned in the state of Tennessee, Dr. Danielle Kelvas quit using an app that tracked her menstrual cycle. “It frightened me … I actually got frightened because it tracked me for like, a week,” Kelvas said of the Oura Ring […]
Arizonans left off voter rolls just before primary because of problems with their forms
Many Arizona residents seeking to register to vote ahead of Tuesday’s primary were blocked from the voter rolls because of problems with the paper registration forms they used, according to a Votebeat analysis of longstanding issues with the forms. The paper forms are the type commonly distributed and collected by civic groups and political parties […]
GOP lawmakers defend use of ‘unborn human being’ in description of abortion rights ballot measure
Republican lawmakers that used the phrase “unborn human being” to describe the Arizona Abortion Access Act in a voter information pamphlet are pushing back on a lawsuit accusing them of unlawful partisanship, defending the phrase as impartial and legally accurate. “The accuracy of this statement is uncontroverted and incontrovertible,” wrote attorneys for the GOP legislators. […]
Letting the ‘Secure Border Act’ go to voters would neuter an AZ Constitutional rule, critics argue
Four immigrant advocacy organizations are urging the Arizona Supreme Court to overrule a lower court judge and block a GOP ballot referral that would give police officers permission to jail migrants, saying that it violates the state’s constitutional requirement to stick to one topic. “Two years ago, this Court held that the Legislature violated the […]
New fiscal year starting with $400 million more than expected
The state closed out the 2024 fiscal year with nearly $600 million more revenue than budget analysts predicted in January — and more than $400 million than lawmakers expected when they approved a state budget in mid-June. Nearly half of that gain came in June, the final month of the fiscal year, legislative staffers reported […]
Sen. Justine Wadsack claims ‘political persecution’ over Tucson criminal speeding ticket
Arizona Sen. Justine Wadsack, a Tucson-area Republican, is claiming “political persecution” over a criminal speeding ticket dating from a March incident that police allege saw her driving her Tesla down Speedway at more than 70 mph. Wadsack was pulled over on Friday, March 15, just after 10 p.m., after being observed “traveling at a high […]