Law & Government
Arizona bans high-potency kratom, but it is easy to find because no one is enforcing the law
The brown tablets in their light blue packaging look nice, but they disguise a secret you’d never know without thousands of dollars worth of testing equipment. “Advanced kratom alkaloids,” the packaging reads across the top. Depending on where you’re shopping, the three pills could cost $10 or $40. The tablets claim to consist, in part, […]
AZ Republicans, Idaho AG, accuse pediatricians of consumer violations for gender-affirming policies
Arizona’s top Republican legislators have joined Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador – along with attorneys general and other officials from 20 U.S. states – in accusing the American Academy of Pediatrics of possible “violations of state consumer protection statutes” over its standards and recommendations for gender dysphoria care for children. In a letter sent by […]
Arizona Supreme Court Justice Brutinel to retire
Justice Robert Brutinel will retire from the Arizona Supreme Court at the end of October, he announced Tuesday. His retirement means that Gov. Katie Hobbs will get to appoint his replacement, making her the first Democrat to appoint a justice to the high court in more than 15 years. Brutinel, who was appointed to the […]
Moms sue Dept. of Ed over ESA requirements demanded by Arizona AG
Two Arizona mothers are suing the state Department of Education over curriculum requirements for the school voucher program that Attorney General Kris Mayes has instructed the department to enforce. The Empowerment Scholarship Account, or ESA program, works by giving the parents of participating students a debit card that can be used to pay for various […]
Glendale got the Pentagon to help kill an affordable housing bill earlier this year
A California congressman who wanted to know why the U.S. Department of Defense lobbied Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs to veto a bill aimed at spurring “starter home” construction has finally gotten some answers, but he still isn’t satisfied. “I think we still have a serious issue of why, in the housing crisis, the DOD is […]
Hobbs backs tribe’s call for updated environmental review of Pinyon Plain Mine
Gov. Katie Hobbs is asking the U.S. Forest Service to conduct a new environmental review of the Pinyon Plain Mine near the Grand Canyon, a request the Havasupai Tribe has made for years. “As Governor of Arizona, I take seriously the concerns of Indigenous community members who feel the safety of their communities and the […]
Progressive groups plead with AZ congressional delegation for Supreme Court reforms
A coalition of Arizona progressive groups are calling on Congress to take swift action on proposed structural reforms they say will provide greater accountability and balance to a “broken” U.S. Supreme Court that “has been captured by dangerous right-wing interests.” In a letter to Arizona’s congressional delegation, the 15 progressive groups urged support for the […]
A GOP senator used state resources to endorse a Cottonwood city council candidate
Flagstaff Republican State Sen. Wendy Rogers appears to have violated Arizona’s version of the Hatch Act, which bars the use of government resources for campaign activity, after she published a letter on official Senate letterhead endorsing a candidate for Cottonwood City Council. “The swamp comes after her, yet SHE STANDS STRONG!” Rogers said in a […]
Campaign funds can be used for child care, AG Kris Mayes says
Arizona candidates for public office can use their campaign funds to pay for child care needs while they are campaigning, Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a legal opinion. The Sept.16 opinion places the Grand Canyon State among 34 other states, along with Washington D.C., in allowing candidates to pay for child care costs with […]
Error with tracking citizenship puts nearly 100,000 Arizona voters’ eligibility in limbo
The eligibility of nearly 100,000 registered voters in Arizona is up in the air because of an error in state systems uncovered just before the scheduled sending of mail ballots, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes announced on Tuesday. The state incorrectly marked these voters when they registered to vote as already having provided documented proof […]
Biden celebrates Black achievements, decries racism against Haitian migrants
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, in the last months of his four-year term, detailed his administration’s efforts in seeking to advance opportunities and equity for Black communities on Friday during the White House’s first-ever brunch in celebration of Black Excellence. The event came as the Congressional Black Caucus hosted its annual legislative conference this week […]
How immigrants navigate their digital footprints in a charged political climate
For more than a decade, San-Francisco-based Miguel has been successfully filing renewals for his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status every two years, at least until 2024. For some reason, this year, it took more than five months to get approval, during which his enrollment in the program lapsed, leaving him in a legal […]