BREAKING: In wake of Arizona’s passage of Prop. 139, coalition of groups FILES SUIT to declare state’s 15-week ban as unconstitutional

This article was reported by AZ Law founder Paul Weich. “AZ Law” includes articles, commentaries and updates about opinions from the Arizona Supreme Court, U.S. Supreme Court, as well as trial and appellate courts, etc. AZ Law is founded by Phoenix attorney Paul Weich, and joins Arizona’s Politics on the internet. AZ Law airs on non-profit Sun Sounds of Arizona, a statewide reading service that provides audio access to printed material for people who cannot hold or read …
Continue Reading BREAKING: In wake of Arizona's passage of Prop. 139, coalition of groups FILES SUIT to declare state's 15-week ban as unconstitutional

And then there were eight. Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ann Timmer convened a rare meeting of the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments (“CACA”)today, and they cut in half the list of candidates to replace the retiring Justice Robert Brutinel.17 attorneys and judges submitted applications for the position last month. The Commission will interview the remaining eight in a public meeting on December 9. Written comments will be accepted until December 4.The whittled down list includes two judges from the Court of Appeals (Maria Elena Cruz and Andrew Jacobs), attorneys from various local, state and tribal governments and two…
Continue Reading EIGHT IS ENOUGH: List of Possible Arizona Supreme Court Justices Cut In Half, Public Input Requested

Apache County will not have to delay tomorrow’s canvass of the election results in order to give voters additional time to cure any signature mismatches, a Superior Court judge ruled. As of this afternoon, the Navajo Nation had not appealed the ruling, meaning the canvass will proceed in a timely manner.The Navajo Nation filed the suit last week after the Arizona Supreme Court had rejected another effort to extend the ballot curing period (which ended on November 10). The suit was based upon information that approximately 180 voters had not been notified by the Apache County Recorder’s Office of issues…
Continue Reading UPDATE: Apache County Election Certification Can Proceed, Court REJECTS Navajo Nation Suit To Allow For More Ballot Curing Time (READ Filings, Order)

The last Biden judicial pick to get approved for the U.S. District Court bench may well be Arizona’s Sharad Desai, we learned today. During a brief, sometimes-testy meeting today, the Senate Judiciary Committee recommended Desai to the full Senate, and there is reason to think that outgoing Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema is the reason.Before that vote, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis blasted the Biden Administration and warned his Democratic colleagues on the committee to not vote for the White House’s pick for the 4th Circuit. He warned payback in the coming session, when Trump begins nominating judges that Democrats…
Continue Reading BREAKING: Kyrsten Sinema's Final Deal (For Now)?; Biden's Last Confirmed Judge May Be Arizona's New Judge Desai

The Arizona Free Enterprise Club and Center for Arizona Policy today lost their appeal claiming that the Voters’ Right to Know Act (“VRKA”, also known as “Stop Dark Money”) violated their constitutional rights.A unanimous three judge panel soundly rejected the groups’ arguments that the disclosure measure – which just completed its first election cycle in effect – violated Arizona’s constitutional protections for free speech, association and for private affairs. They claimed that donors and potential donors would be (or were) harassed because they could no longer hide their identities. (The measure calls for disclosure of the original source of…
Continue Reading BREAKING, "DEMOLISHED": Conservative Groups Lose Appeal of Constitutional Claim Against Arizona's "Stop Dark Money" Measure (READ Opinion)

Abraham Hamadeh, who unsuccessfully ran to be Arizona Attorney General in 2022 today AVOIDEDsanctions in his “untimely election constest” filed in 2023. Hamadeh and his attorney, Ryan Heath, sued Maricopa County and the Secretary of State (Adrian Fontes), claiming they violated voters’ constitutional rights due to some long lines caused by printer/tabulator issues.Citing this year’s Arizona Supreme Court decision reversing sanctions against the Arizona Republican Party for a dismissed 2020 case, Judge Scott Blaney found that he could not find that the case was sanctionable.Hamadeh is currently running for U.S. Congress.
This article was reported by AZ Law founder …
Continue Reading SANCTIONS SCOREBOARD UPDATE: Abe Hamadeh, Attorney AVOID Sanctions In "Untimely Election Contest" (Challenging 2022 Election)

Rudy Giuliani and his Arizona attorney want to try to show that the Arizona Grand Jury that indicted him and 17 others in the so-called fake electors case earlier this year was politically stacked against the Republican group. Today, the judge largely shut down his efforts.Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts described the effort well this afternoon.Here is the Motion from Giuliani and his attorney (Mark Williams), the State’s Response and Judge Bruce Cohen’s decision.The trial for the remaining 16 defendants – which includes 10 of the 11 Arizona Republicans who signed the false document and several Trump attorneys and…
Continue Reading "NOT ONE SCINTILLA" OF SUPPORT: Rudy Giuliani Demands Data To Show Arizona Grand Jury That Indicted Him Was Stacked; Judge Not Impressed

Update, 4:50pm: The Arizona Supreme Court is moving fast. The Secretary of State’s Response is due by 4:00pm tomorrow. (Fontes already had declared that he is ready to file it by then.) Any amicus (aka friend of the court) briefs are also due by then, and the Justices will quickly decide whether to accept this emergency Special Action.
************Original article, 9/17: “BREAKING: Maricopa County Recorder Files Action In AZ Supreme Court, Could Force 97,000 Long-Time Voters To Present Proof of Citizenship Or Lose Ballot Access”Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer has filed an emergency action with the Arizona Supreme…
Continue Reading BREAKING: Maricopa County Recorder Files Action In AZ Supreme Court, Could Force 97,000 Long-Time Voters To Present Proof of Citizenship Or Lose Ballot Access

Mark Meadows, President Donald Trump’s Chiefs of Staff in the White House in late 2020, will continue to face criminal charges in Arizona state court. U.S. District Court Judge John Tuchi today declined to accept Meadows’ effort to remove the case to federal court.In a 15-page Order, Tuchi finds that Meadows filed his Notice of Removal more than two weeks past the deadline, and did not present good cause for that tardiness. Meadows had claimed that he was waiting for the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Trump immunity case. However, Tuchi decided that that was not a reason…
Continue Reading BREAKING: Mark Meadows' Criminal Charges In Arizona REMAIN in State Court, Federal Judge Rules (READ Order)

The Arizona Supreme Court DISMISSED in quick order a Special Action Petition filed by the Arizona Republican Party challenging two election-related Executive Orders issued last year by Governor Katie Hobbs. The Executive Orders encouraged Arizona counties to make use of state facilities for polling places and drop boxes.Chief Justice Ann Timmer’s Order scolded the party for not justifying filing the action directly with the Supreme Court, and for why it waited so long after the Executive Orders were issued. The attorney for the AZGOP was Andrew Gould, one of Timmer’s former colleagues on the Supreme Court bench.The Court concludes that…
Continue Reading BREAKING: AZ Supreme Court THROWS OUT AZ Republican Party Action Challenging Hobbs' Executive Orders Encouraging Polling Places & Drop Boxes

Mohave County Supervisor Ron Gould cannot get legal immunity in advance for voting to hand count all upcoming election ballots. His lawsuit against Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes was dismissed today by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Brad Astrowsky.Gould filed the declaratory judgment action early this year, after Mayes had advised the Mohave County Board that conducting a full hand count would be against Arizona laws (that Gould had helped shape as a former lawmaker).The case was dismissed before trial because Gould’s rights as one Supervisor were not yet impacted (because his fellow Supervisors voted against a full hand…
Continue Reading BREAKING: Mohave County Supervisor Ron Gould Strikes Out On Hand Count Case Against AG Mayes (READ Minute Entry)

A semi-retired Arizona Supreme Court Justice and two other retired Arizona judges comprise the highest level of arbitrators in a privately-owned, semi-autonomous, Ayn Rand-inspired city on a Honduran island. The New York Times Magazine reports this week that “Próspera” also is in a battle for survival with the current Honduran government.Retired Justice John Pelander is one of the three “Senior Arbiters” for the Próspera Arbitration Center and heads the “Appellate Division”. PAC is essentially the judicial branch for the ZEDE (“Zone for Employment and Economic Development”) “backed by the Silicon Valley billionaires Peter Thiel, Sam Altman and Marc Andreessen”. Earlier…
Continue Reading SITTING ON TWO BENCHES: Arizona's 2nd Supreme Court Is Based In… Honduras? Arizona Semi-Retired Justice, Judges Are Only Senior Arbiters In "Precarious" Semi-Autonomous City

The Arizona Supreme Court has now blessed the Republican Legislative Council’s “impartial analysis” of both citizens’ initiatives appearing on November’s ballot. After previously allowing “unborn human being” instead of “fetus”, the Justices today reversed the Superior Court judge’s decision that the analysis “misleadingly” elevates and characterizes the ranked choice voting provisions of the Open Primaries (aka Make Elections Fair Arizona) initiative.(This is a developing story. Please check back later for more details.)
This article was reported by AZ Law founder Paul Weich. “AZ Law” includes articles, commentaries and updates about opinions from the Arizona Supreme Court, U.S. Supreme Court, …
Continue Reading BREAKING: AZ Supreme Court Blesses Leg Council's Analysis Of Open Primaries' Initiative Focusing On RCV Provision, REVERSES Trial Court (READ Decision)