Law & Government
Hobbs: State not ready to execute Gunches by April 6; court urged to force execution
WASHINGTON – With just three weeks until convicted murderer Aaron Gunches is scheduled to be put to death, a court battle continues to rage over whether the state will be ready to execute him by lethal injection on April 6. Gov. Katie Hobbs said in filings with the Arizona Supreme Court Wednesday that she is […]
Proposed bill would put a ban on banning gun shows
A bill that already garnered approval in the state Senate would bar Arizona municipalities from banning gun shows. One of the bill’s proponents warned the legislature could “make lives unpleasant” for municipalities that choose to do so, even if the bill never becomes law. Bob Templeton, owner of the Crossroads of the West Gun Shows, […]
Arizona Senate passes anti-drag bills
Two anti-drag bills passed the state Senate with GOP support Thursday despite promises from Gov. Katie Hobbs of a future veto and ongoing threats of violence toward the drag community in Arizona. The two bills, sponsored by Sen. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, would target drag shows, despite Kern saying the bills didn’t expressly target drag shows, […]
Advocacy groups call on Toma to stop ‘bullying’ of GOP critics at the Capitol
A group of advocacy organizations that say they want more respect for their members who speak in front of Arizona legislative committees have asked Republican House Speaker Ben Toma to “address the bullying, angry, and intimidating behavior” of some legislators during committee meetings. The letter from two dozen left-leaning and progressive organizations was sent March […]
Teachers rally against complaint hotline, call for its end
Dozens of teachers took to the street on Wednesday afternoon to demand that the state superintendent’s newly established parental complaint hotline be dismantled. Two banners were held up at the front of the crowd as it marched down 16th Avenue toward the Department of Education’s building, one expressing support for educators and the other asking […]
Bill to protect ‘Big Lie’ lawyers from punishment advances with GOP support
A bill that would punish the State Bar of Arizona and the Arizona Supreme Court if they discipline attorneys for bringing baseless election fraud complaints in Arizona courts has continued to make its way towards becoming law. The bill from Sen. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, prohibits both the State Bar and the Arizona Supreme Court from […]
GOP state leaders win permission to defend abortion law in court
Republican legislative leaders have been given the go-ahead by a federal judge to defend a 2021 abortion law in court after the attorney general said she wouldn’t. In early February, Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma filed a request to intervene in an ongoing challenge against the law, arguing that newly elected […]
Arizona agencies possibly exposed in LastPass data breach
Multiple state agencies, including the Arizona Department of Homeland Security and state’s Medicaid provider, may have had their passwords and login credentials exposed in a breach of the popular password management software LastPass. The Arizona Department of Administration confirmed to the Arizona Mirror that the Department of Homeland Security, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment […]
Sweeping bill to address Arizona’s housing crisis shot down
In a rare show of bipartisan agreement, the Arizona state Senate voted down a bill aimed at addressing the housing crisis by a vote of 9-20. Senate Bill 1117 would have slashed city control over housing projects, nixing certain zoning requirements and speeding up building by getting rid of a lengthy review and approval processes. […]
Kris Mayes and 22 other attorneys general defend DACA
More than 30,000 Arizonans are DACA recipients, and Attorney General Kris Mayes joined nearly two dozen other states last week in defending the program on their behalf. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, commonly referred to as DACA, is a federal policy that shields eligible recipients from deportation and affords them a work permit. The policy […]
A bill to enable do-it-yourself election audits sparks rare bipartisan interest in Arizona
Behind closed doors this month, in a caucus room that typically holds members from just one party, in a state defined by its political divisiveness, a rare bipartisan parley unfolded. State Sen. Ken Bennett paced around the room explaining his idea for a Do-It-Yourself election audit. He wanted to create a path making it possible […]
Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse differs from our last financial crisis
After the largest U.S. bank failure in more than a decade, regional bank stocks plunged on Monday as the federal government — with the 2007-2008 financial crisis still a fresh memory for many — rushed to reassure Americans that the U.S. banking system was stable. President Joe Biden told Americans that the risks taken on […]