The Arizona Court of Appeals heard arguments over whether Proposition. 211, the voter measure requiring heightened campaign media spending donor disclosure, infringes on separation of powers by granting rulemaking and enforcement authority to the Arizona Citizens Clean Election Commission. Since its passage, court challenges to proposition 211 in both state and federal court have failed to block or otherwise curtail the measure.  The Arizona Court of Appeals took the latest claim, that the act includes an unconstitutional lack of oversight, from Senate President Warren Petersen and House ..read more

The Alliance Defending Freedom on Tuesday urged the Arizona Supreme to immediately order the 1864 law again enforceable, saying even a temporary restoration of the law legislators just repealed will save 25 “unborn children” a day. In new legal documents, attorney Jacob Warner told the justices there is no legal basis for Attorney General Kris Mayes to ask for more time before the court’s April 9 decision reinstating the territorial-era law, which outlaws abortions except to save the life of the mother. Mayes said she wants to study whether to seek review by the U.S. Supreme Court. “But any a ..read more

The failure of state lawmakers to wrap up their business by now is going to hit them in the pockets – some harder than others. State law gives legislators from Maricopa County $35 a day for every day of the session in what’s called “per diem.” That runs seven days a week, regardless of whether they are at the Capitol. But the law also says that drops to $10 a day after the 120th day of the session. And Tuesday is Day 121. Out-county lawmakers used to get $60 a day. But legislators pushed through a measure in 2021 to raise that to the General Services Administration rate, the figure used by th ..read more

A state senator who complained about Democrats hosting a “drag story hour” has lost his privileges to use Senate broadcast facilities after he used them to do an interview with a talk show host who denies the Holocaust. The move comes five days after Sen. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, appeared on the Stew Peters show to talk about the April 30 drag story event in a basement meeting room of the House. Speaker Ben Toma later revoked the privileges of the Democrats to use meeting rooms, saying he was misled about what they were planning. But that came after Kern called out the speaker for failing to ..read more

Kari Lake deserves a do-over of her 2022 loss in the governor’s race to Democrat Katie Hobbs because new evidence shows Maricopa County election officials did unannounced tests on vote-counting equipment and knew they would fail on Election Day, her attorney told the state Court of Appeals. In arguments before the three-judge panel on Thursday, attorney Kurt Olson also claimed Maricopa County’s election director gave false testimony to a judge hearing her election contest lawsuit. And Olsen said the judge improperly discounted testimony from Lake’s expert and used the wrong standard in determ ..read more

In April, state residents raised millions of dollars for philanthropic causes ranging from helping troubled youth to cleaning up the environment for Arizona Gives Day. It’s an annual event that helps drive support for organizations that invest in local communities—a wise move considering that some large, national groups engage in questionable fundraising or marketing tactics.   A new report details how the country’s two most well-known animal advocacy groups—the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the Humane Society of the United States—don’t operat ..read more

Education is one of the most critical components of creating a successful, happy, and prosperous future – which is why school choice is not just a critical policy but is also a lifeline for families seeking the best outcomes for their children. As a mother of five, I have always believed that children are the cornerstone of our society and investing in their education is paramount to building a strong nation. I have seen firsthand how every child is unique, with distinct needs and aspirations that can affect their ability to learn in environments that are not best suited to them. It is our re ..read more

Over the next 50 years, nearly half of America’s freshwater basins may not be able to meet the monthly water demand, with shortages anticipated in the central and southern Great Plains, the Southwest, and central Rocky Mountain states. Phoenix is at the center of the water conservation crisis in America. State officials are limiting new housing construction in the Phoenix area that depends on groundwater to help close the 4% gap between supply and demand in the coming decades. Growing challenges from extreme weather events and urban sprawl require innovative solutions for water management loc ..read more

In their memoir Two Lucky People, Milton and Rose Friedman wrote that property rights “are the most basic of human rights and an essential foundation for other human rights.” That’s a good framing to consider the state of property rights in Arizona and how leaders like Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell are doing in upholding this “essential foundation.” Here are a few points on why I believe Mitchell deserves high marks on her private property scorecard: Organized retail theft Shoplifting, or shrinkage in retail industry parlance, has always been a source of worry for retailers. But to ..read more

All but one judge up for retention met judicial standards, the Judicial Performance Review Commission found in its 2024 review of judges and justices. The latest round of judicial performance review marks the first since a task force undertook a major rule and process overhaul after three judges were not retained in 2022, despite only one judge being deemed unfit for the bench. In recommended and since-adopted rule changes, commissioners prioritized heightened voter information and clarity going into the 2024 retention election, citing “voter confusion” in the past cycle as a conduit for a hi ..read more