Arizona
Virus Records
Phoenix Newspapers (The Arizona Republic) et al. sued the Arizona Department of Health Services for public records that show the number of Covid-19 cases in nursing institutions and their transfers to and from Arizona hospitals, in Maricopa County Court.
Read moreProsecutorial Conduct
The Supreme Court of Arizona ruled that Juan Martinez, a prosecutor at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, should be reprimanded for violating a rule of professional conduct in three murder trials. However, the court ruled comments Martinez made during the Jodi Arias trial were not so unprofessional as to violate the court’s rules.
Read moreEagle Feather
A member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate claims the Dysart (Ariz.) School District violated her constitutional rights by prohibiting her “from wearing her traditionally-beaded graduation cap and sacred eagle plume at her high school graduation,” in federal court.
Read moreE-Signing
A federal court in Arizona dismissed a lawsuit seeking an injunction to require the Secretary of State to allow, during the current pandemic, the electronic submission of signatures required to put certain proposals on the ballot for the November election. The court rules that the people of the state should make the decision about how to draw signature samples and whether to treat signatures obtained through an electronic system as valid, and such a decision should not be made “on the fly” as part of a temporary restraining order proceeding.
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Bald Eagles, Eaglets Found Nesting in Arms of Arizona Cactus
For the first time in decades, bald eagles have been found nesting in an Arizona saguaro cactus.
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Climate Change Fueling More Intense Megadroughts in US West
Hotter temperatures from climate change will likely mean the worst megadrought the region has ever seen.
Read moreThe Arid West
The Western Watersheds Project sued the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in federal court, claiming its expansion of livestock grazing on the 55,000-acre San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area in southern Arizona will wreak havoc on the environment and violate at least four federal and state laws.
Read moreElections in a Pandemic
Arizonans for Fair Elections et al. sued Arizona and all of its counties in federal court, claiming its law that signatures for citizen initiatives must be “gathered in the presence of a circulator” is an unconstitutional burden during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read moreReimbursing Room & Board
Students at Arizona’s three state universities sued the Arizona Board of Regents in a federal class action for refusing to reimburse them for unused room and board they paid for before the Covid-19 pandemic forced the schools to shut them out.
Read moreBad Teacher
Parents sued Peoria, Ariz., its unified school district and former teacher Ricky Ordway, 44, who has been accused of 11 counts of child molestation of students at Sun Valley Elementary School, in Maricopa County Court.
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Arizona Voters Turn Out for Biden
Former Vice President Joe Biden was coasting to an apparent victory in Arizona’s Democratic presidential preference election Tuesday, extending his delegate lead and leaving Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders a very steep climb to their party’s nomination.
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Arizona Election Officials Vow Safe Polling Places for Primary
Under the pall of coronavirus and a call for social distancing across the nation, Arizona Democrats headed to the polls Tuesday to decide who get the state’s delegates to the national convention in July.
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Poll Puts Biden Firmly On Top With Arizona Voters
A new poll of Arizona voters gives former Vice President Joe Biden a sizeable lead over Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in the state’s March 17 primary and suggests Arizona could be in play for the Democrats come the November general election.
Read moreArizona Judge Halts Ballot Mailings Amid Virus Outbreak
A state judge blocked Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes on Friday from mailing ballots to all eligible voters in the county as an effort to minimize human interaction during the state’s presidential primary on Tuesday due to the coronavirus outbreak.
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Biden Takes Decisive Lead Over Sanders in Arizona
Coming off a string of losses across the South and Midwest, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders faces an uphill battle in Arizona Democrats’ presidential primary Tuesday.
Read moreSenate Seat
Arizona voters and a would-be Senate candidate have suffered no injuries from the appointment of Senator Martha McSally, who filled the late Senator John McCain’s vacant seat in Arizona, a Ninth Circuit panel ruled. The three-judge panel also concluded that the November 2020 vacancy election date does not burden plaintiffs’ rights to vote.
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Feds Drop Last Charge Against Immigrant Aid Volunteer
Federal prosecutors on Thursday dropped a misdemeanor charge against humanitarian aid worker Scott Warren, who was convicted in November of driving a motor vehicle in a restricted area on the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.
Read moreYarnell Hill Fire
The Ninth Circuit ruled against a firefighter seeking records relating to the Yarnell Hill Fire of 2013, which killed 19 firefighters in Arizona. The court ruled that even if the U.S. Department of Agriculture once held the records the firefighter seeks, there is no question that the department’s search for them was adequate.
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