Category: Arizona

Election Integrity Experts Talks About 2020 Election Irregularities at Virtual ‘Get Trump’ Lawfare Conference

Rachel Alexander

The Arizona civic organization Davos in the Desert hosted a “Get Trump” virtual conference on lawfare Tuesday featuring various experts. Some speakers, such as Arizona attorney Mark Sonnenklar and Louisiana attorney Daniel R. Street, focused heavily on election fraud and other illegalities in the 2020 election.

Sonnenklar, who worked as a roving attorney during the 2022 election, began his presentation by going over a precinct analysis from Army intelligence veteran and analytics guru Seth Keshel. Keshel contrasted the numbers of votes for the Republican versus Democratic candidates for president in numerous small precincts from the 2012, 2016 and 2020 elections. Each of the precincts he examined showed similar differences in numbers between the Republican and Democrat candidates in 2012 and 2016.

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‘Get Trump’ Virtual Conference on Lawfare Speakers Poke Holes in January 6 and Trump Legal Cases

Rachel Alexander
January Six

The Arizona civic organization Davos in the Desert hosted a “Get Trump” virtual conference on lawfare Tuesday, featuring some of the country’s top lawfare experts.

Linda Denno, an associate dean and associate professor at the University of Arizona who hosts a podcast with Berkeley constitutional law professor John Yoo, spoke about Special Counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump for taking home documents from the White House to his Mar-a-Lago residence. Brian Lupo, an investigative journalist who runs a podcast focusing on election corruption and lawfare, spoke about the unfair prosecutions of the January 6 protesters.

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Sheriff Mark Lamb’s Pledge: Putting Arizona First in the Race for Senate

Christy Kelly
Mark Lamb

Sheriff Mark Lamb, dubbed the “American Sheriff,” to a short break recently from his campaign for U.S. Senate to grant an exclusive interview to The Arizona Sun Times to discuss his vision, legislative objectives, and strategies for transitioning from law enforcement to federal governance. Lamb and former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake are the key contenders in the 2024 Republican primary, aiming to succeed Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), who will not seek re-election.

Lamb began by expressing his gratitude for the support and encouragement he has experienced on the campaign trail. “When people see that you are protecting their families, they, in turn, become protective of you.”

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Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego to Seek Second Term as Ex-Husband Ruben Gallego Runs for Senate

Tom Pappert
Kate Gallego

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego announced her reelection campaign on Wednesday, confirming she will seek another six-year term at the city’s helm.

In a video posted to the social media platform X, the mayor listed recent investments in Phoenix by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the new campus being established at Arizona State University, as well as investments into “cool pavements” and homeless solutions as achievements before she confirmed her candidacy.

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Arizona Support for Biden Shrinks to 36 Percent in Poll Including Robert F. Kennedy, Jill Stein

Tom Pappert
Joe Biden Arizona

A poll of Arizona voters released Wednesday showed support for President Joe Biden shrunk to just 36 percent in an election including former President Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Dr. Jill Stein and intellectual Cornel West.

The survey of Arizona registered voters found, in a five-way contest, 43 percent of the Arizona electorate would vote for Trump while just 36 percent who would vote to give Biden a second term.

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Maricopa County and Arizona Secretary of State Censored 2020 Election Audit Hearing, Elected Officials

Just the News
Katie Hobbs and Facebook

The Arizona secretary of state’s office and Maricopa County worked together to censor information about the state’s 2020 election audit of the county and reported elected officials’ posts to social media companies.

Maricopa County and the Arizona secretary of state’s office worked together with third parties to censor social media content that they believed was misinformation regarding the 2020 election audit of Maricopa County and election information posted by elected officials, according to public records obtained from both Maricopa County and the Arizona secretary of state by The Gavel Project.

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John Eastman and Other Top Attorneys Speak at ‘Get Trump’ Virtual Conference on Lawfare

Rachel Alexander

The Arizona civic organization Davos in the Desert hosted a virtual “Get Trump” lawfare conference all day Tuesday. The conference featured numerous top legal experts, including Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar John Eastman. It covered the criminal prosecutions, the high-profile civil lawsuits, the two impeachment trials, and lawfare against conservative attorneys.

Eastman, who is being prosecuted in Georgia and Arizona for his work advising and representing Trump on the 2020 election corruption and fighting disbarment in California, discussed the evidence he saw that convinced him there was wrongdoing in the election.

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GOP State Senator May Be Holding Up Arizona Legislature from Sending Election Integrity Measure to Ballot

Rachel Alexander
Ken Bennett

The Arizona Legislature is considering sending an election integrity measure to the ballot this fall.

HCR 2056 was debated in the Senate Elections Committee last week. The bill would require voters to show photo ID when dropping ballots off. All early ballots dropped off will be tabulated at the voting location where they were submitted. Seven counties already do that. The bill also prohibits election officials from accepting funds from foreign entities to help administer an election.

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Rep. Ruben Gallego Claimed Border Crisis ‘Not as Important’ for Arizona in Video Slammed by Senate Republicans

Tom Pappert
Ruben Gallego

A video purportedly from a virtual town hall event featuring Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) shows the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate claiming the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border is “not as important” to Arizona voters.

Originally posted online by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), Gallego stated in the video, “The border, people talk about, it’s not as important and salient as it is I think in other states. We do talk about it, we do worry about it, but it is not, I think, as heavy as it is in other states.”

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Rudy Giuliani Pleads Not Guilty to Nine Charges in Arizona 2020 Electors Case

Just the News

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to nine felony charges in an election case regarding an alternate slate of electors in Arizona for the 2020 election.

Kelli Ward, the former Arizona Republican Party chair, and at least 11 other people were also arraigned in the case on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. Ward and nine others have pleaded not guilty thus far, and her trial begins Oct. 17. They were arraigned for conspiracy, forgery and fraud charges that Arizona authorities announced last month. 

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Maricopa County Passes Tentative Budget with Lower Tax Rate

The Center Square
Maricopa County Budget Taxes

The budget in Maricopa County will presumably go down by 11% in fiscal year 2025.

A decrease in the budget compared with the current fiscal year is largely attributed to less “one-time spending” and a decrease of $32.7 million in retirement costs. In total, the difference between fiscal year 2024 and 2025 was over $493 million. The budget totals at roughly $3.87 billion, with 47.6% going toward public safety and 25,78% going toward health, welfare, and sanitation.

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Pro-Palestine Protesters in Legal Limbo as Dismissal of Trespassing Charges Could be Temporary

Christy Kelly
ASU Pro Palestine Encampment

The fate of dozens of pro-Palestine protesters arrested for campus demonstrations that Arizona State University (ASU) officials called unlawful landed in legal limbo as the court dismissed charges of trespassing without prejudice. The move allows the possibility for some 72 individuals to face prosecutions for alleged wrongdoing until the end of April, 2025.

This procedural pause comes after ASU failed to submit the necessary charging recommendations to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, a critical step for formal charges to proceed.

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Ukrainian Student in Tennessee Arrested over Alleged Identity Theft Scheme Involving North Korea

Tom Pappert
Carson-Newman University

The arrest of a Ukrainian national previously in Tennessee on a student visa to study at Carson-Newman University was announced Thursday, with federal authorities alleging the foreign national participated in an “illicit revenue generation” scheme to aid the government of North Korea.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) reported that Oleksandr Didenko, a 27-year-old university student originally from Kiev, Ukraine, was arrested in Poland on May 6 on charges including identity theft of U.S. citizens for use by North Koreans.

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Arizona A.G. Kris Mayes Releases Full 2020 Election Indictment After Serving Rudy Giuliani at His 80th Birthday Party

Tom Pappert
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, Rudy Giuliani

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes on Monday released a full, unredacted version of the criminal indictment of Republican activists and politicians who assisted former President Donald Trump with his efforts to contest the 2020 election results in the state.

In a brief statement posted to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office website, Mayes’ staff confirmed, “The following individuals are named as defendants in the indictment: Rudolph Giuliani, Mark Meadows, John Eastman, Boris Epshteyn, Christina Bobb, Jenna Ellis, Michael Roman, Kelli Ward, Tyler Bowyer, Nancy Cottle, Jacob Hoffman, Anthony Kern, James Lamon, Robert Montgomery, Samuel Moorhead, Lorraine Pellegrino, Gregory Safsten, and Michael Ward.”

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Trump Commands Five Point Lead over Biden in Arizona as Voters Driven by Inflation and Economy, Poll Shows

Tom Pappert
Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump now holds a five-point lead over President Joe Biden in a head-to-head race in Arizona, a poll released Sunday revealed.

The CBS News/YouGov poll found 52 percent of Arizonans would vote for Trump if the election were held today, compared to 47 percent who said they would vote for the Democratic incumbent.

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Trump’s Former Attorney John Eastman Arrested in Phoenix over His 2020 Election Legal Work

Rachel Alexander
John Eastman

Donald Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar John Eastman was arrested, booked, and arraigned Friday in Phoenix over his role in the 2020 election. Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes brought charges and secured indictments in April against him, Arizona’s alternate Republican slate of electors, and a few others including Rudy Giuliani and Trump’s former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Trump is an unindicted co-conspirator.

Mayes is accused by her Republican opponent for attorney general, Abe Hamadeh, of illegally holding office due to the election malfeasance in 2022. Hamadeh is still challenging his loss to her by 280 votes in the 2022 election, and has filed multiple lawsuits seeking to overturn the election, alleging among other things that 9,000 provisional ballots were never counted.

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Arizona Republicans Sue EPA over Electric Vehicle Rules

The Center Square

Republican leadership in the Arizona state legislature and the Arizona Trucking Association are suing the United States Environmental Protection Agency over an electric vehicle mandate.

The two lawsuits in a federal appeals court in Washington D.C. focus on the EPA’s desire to have more electric vehicles on the market. Specifically, those suing are taking issue with the EPA’s rule to pivot to having 70% of vehicles overall, including a quarter of “heavy-duty vehicles,” be electric by 2032, according to a news release.

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Cochise County Sheriff Confirms Support for ‘Secure the Border Act’ Because ‘Federal Government Has Abandoned’ Arizona

Tom Pappert
Mark Dannels

Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels voiced his support for the Secure Our Border Act under consideration in the Arizona Legislature, telling NewsNation on Wednesday that such measures are necessary because the “federal government has abandoned” Arizona.

Dannels told acknowledged he shares concerns cited by other Arizona sheriff’s about funding for HCR 2060, but confirmed he supports the “spirit” and “intent” of the potential Arizona referendum that proposes making it a state crime to enter the United States illegally, make it a felony offense to submit false data to E-Verify and prevent illegal immigrants from accessing welfare programs.

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Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs Joined ‘Group Chat’ to Befriend Fellow Democratic, Female Governors

Tom Pappert
Katie Hobbs

A Wednesday report revealed the existence of a “group chat” that includes eight female Democratic governors, including Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, who befriended other influential Democrats including Governors Kathy Hochul of New York and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.

The gubernatorial group chat additionally includes Governors Maura Healey of Massachusetts, Laura Kelly of Kansas, Tina Kotek of Oregon, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, and Janet Mills of Maine, according to the 19th News report.

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Election Chaos Threatens Maricopa County Recorder’s Reelection Prospects

Rachel Alexander
Stephen Richer

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer faces reelection, going up against two primary opponents and a Democratic challenger. Conservatives are furious at his denials that there was significant wrongdoing in the 2020 and 2022 elections, but he may lose reelection based on merely long lines and voting complications, which frustrated voters.

Voters encountered problems casting their ballots at 70 of the 223 vote centers in Maricopa County on Election Day in 2022, resulting in long lines and concerns that ballots were not tabulated or misread.

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Arizona Local Governments, Charities Receive over $54 Million from Biden Administration to Care for Illegal Immigrants

Tom Pappert
Illegal Immigrants

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced over $54 million in awards last month for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Shelter and Services program to Arizona entities to offset “costs incurred” due to the influx of illegal immigrants into the country.

According to funding awards posted publicly by FEMA last month, two Arizona-based charitable entities, Pima County and Maricopa County will collectively receive $54,573,093 to support illegal immigrants in the 2024 fiscal year.

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The City of Maricopa Approves $650,000 House for City Manager, Sparking Ethics Complaint and Community Tensions in Arizona

Christy Kelly
Benjamin Bitter

Ben Bitter was appointed on April 1st as Maricopa’s new city manager with a compensation package that has sparked controversy. His annual salary stands at $242,000 – $20,000 above that of his predecessor. The package also includes a $400 monthly stipend for personal vehicle use and a $100 monthly cell phone allowance. On April 16th, the city council approved the purchase of a house for Bitter valued up to $650,000, which he will repay at a half-percent interest rate over 30 years, significantly below current market rates. Passed through a consent agenda without public input, this arrangement has infuriated many residents over the use of taxpayer money.

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Goldwater Institute Sues Pima County over New Gun Ordinance Allegedly Illegal Under Arizona Law

Tom Pappert

The Goldwater Institute filed a lawsuit against Pima County in late April over a new ordinance that levies fines against gun owners who fail to report stolen weapons within 48 hours after learning they are missing, it confirmed Monday.

Pima County’s ordinance requires gun owners to report guns lost or stolen within Pima County to local authorities under penalty of a $1,000 fine should gun owners take longer than 48 hours.

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Democrat Appointed Judge Throws Out Abe Hamadeh’s Petition for Writ of Quo Warranto to Remove AZ AG Mayes from Office, Suggests Sanctions

Rachel Alexander
Abe Hamadeh

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Susanna Pineda, who was appointed to the bench by Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano, granted a Motion to Dismiss filed by Maricopa County officials in response to Abe Hamadeh’s Petition for Writ of Quo Warranto. She also suggested she would award sanctions against Hamadeh, other plaintiffs, and their attorney. Hamadeh had asked to remove Attorney General Kris Mayes from office and fix the 2022 election problems, including up to redoing it.

Ryan Heath, Hamadeh’s attorney, told The Arizona Sun Times, “I worked in judicial chambers as an intern in law school. Before this ruling, I’d never seen a case where a judge blatantly ignores arguments and allegations in order to impose sanctions. The appeal is already drafted, and I’m looking forward to overturning the trial court’s ruling on appeal.”

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Increasing Number of Illegal Immigrants Expected to Vote for Democrats in the 2024 Election

Rachel Alexander
Illegal migrants in small boat

Illegal immigrants may legally vote in U.S. elections, thanks to a loophole in federal law that provides an escape from any penalties and have their votes counted if they believe they are legally eligible to participate in an election.

Analysis by The Washington Times found that illegal immigrants are three times more likely to be Democrats than Republicans, and due to increasing numbers coming illegally across the border under the Biden administration, are expected to increase their votes for Democrats this fall.

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Maricopa County Republican Leadership Unanimously Censures Arizona Supreme Court for ‘Injustice’ and ‘Bias’ in Handling Election-Related Lawsuits

Rachel Alexander

The Maricopa County Republican Committee’s Executive Guidance Committee unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday censuring the Arizona Supreme Court (ASC) for its handling of election lawsuits. The censure came after the state’s highest court issued two relatively favorable rulings for Republicans: reversing sanctions against the Arizona Republican Party for an election-related case and upholding Arizona’s old 1864 law restricting abortion.

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The Arizona Corporation Commission May Have Violated APS Customers’ Due Process Rights with the Recent Solar Connect Fee: Rate Case is Reopened and Set for a November Hearing

Christy Kelly
Couple dealing with paperwork

The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), an independent body with powers derived from constitutional authority, ultimately opted to reopen the APS rate case to enhance the evidentiary record. During the February rate case, the ACC approved this controversial fee, intended to cover grid access costs for solar customers. Its last-minute introduction during the hearing sparked allegations of discrimination and due process violations.

In the APS case, the ACC voted to approve a rate hike for customers on February 22, 2024. It was approved 4-1 along party lines with the Democrat Commissioner Anna Tovar as the sole “no” vote. Chairman Jim O’Connor (R) seemed to allude on Arizona Horizon that this complex case, first filed on June 1, 2022, was handled in a meticulous manner.

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Arizona State Republicans Prepare ‘Secure the Border Act’ for Public Vote in November following Veto from Gov. Katie Hobbs

Tom Pappert
Illegal Immigrants

Republicans in the Arizona State Legislature are preparing the Secure the Border Act for a public referendum in November following vetoes of border security measures by Governor Katie Hobbs, allowing lawmakers to circumvent the governor should Arizona voters agree.

Both State Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) and House Majority Leader Ben Toma (R-Peoria) have confirmed their support as of Wednesday for HCR 2060, the Secure the Border Act ballot initiative that would strengthen penalties for submitting false information to E-Verify and require new safeguards to keep illegal immigrants from receiving public welfare benefits.

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Lawfare Hits the Arizona Primaries: Supreme Court Case Decided in Favor of Republican Kim George Almost Three Weeks After Petition Deadline

Christy Kelly
George Backie

The Arizona Supreme Court upheld the trial court’s decision allowing Congressional District 1 (CD1) candidate Kim George to remain on the ballot later Wednesday, despite a challenge from businessman Robert Backie.

George told The Arizona Sun Times, “I’m appreciative the Supreme Court affirmed the lower court’s ruling and am ready to focus on winning this election.”

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Arizona Department of Education Creates ‘STOP-IT’ Program to Teach Dangers of Fentanyl, Place Emergency Narcan in Schools

Tom Pappert
Tom Horne

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne announced the creation of a new Arizona Department of Education (ADE) task force to educate students about the dangers posed by the synthetic opioid fentanyl and provide emergency Narcan for school staff to reverse potentially fatal overdoses.

Horne announced the formation of the School Training Overdose Preparedness and Intelligence Taskforce (STOP-IT) on Tuesday, revealing the new effort will educate children about the dangers of fentanyl and other opioids while providing schools with resources to save lives.

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Florida Bar Judge Recommends 60-Day Suspension for Conservative Attorney Exercising His Free Speech During Political Campaign

Rachel Alexander
Chris Crowley

A referee judge for the Florida State Bar recommended suspending decorated Gulf War veteran Chris Crowley’s law license for 60 days over his criticism of an opponent he ran against for the Office of the State Attorney in Florida’s 20th Judicial Circuit.

During the 2018 race, Crowley referred to Amira D. Fox, who eventually won, as “corrupt” and “swampy” and observed that she had “close family ties to the PLO terrorist organization.” The Florida Bar had requested a 91-day suspension for allegedly violating the bar’s ethics rule prohibiting criticism of judges, election officials, and candidates running for office.

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Tense Forum in Sun City West as Maricopa County Supervisor District 4 Candidates Branch and Lesko Vie for Voters’ Support

Christy Kelly
Bob Branch Debbie Lesko

In Maricopa County, the race for supervisor in District 4 is heating up between two Republican contenders: Dr. Robert Branch and U.S. Representative Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08). There is a Democratic candidate, but given the district’s strong Republican history, political watchers say they expect that Republicans will prevail to join the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (BOS). The pair recently clashed at a lively forum hosted by the Sun City West Republican Club on Saturday.

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Arizona’s 8th District Congressional Candidates Clash in Tense Debate

Christy Kelly
Arizona 8th Congressional District Debate

Last week, PBS hosted a debate with candidates from Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, a Republican stronghold. The event featured intense discussions among participants, including frontrunners Abe Hamadeh and Blake Masters. Also in attendance were State Speaker of the House Ben Toma (R-27); State Senator Anthony Kern (R-27); and former Representative Trent Franks (R-AZ-8), who previously held this seat for almost 15 years.

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Illegal Immigrant Arrested for Attempted Murder Committed in Brazil 35 Days After DOJ Released Him in Arizona

Tom Pappert
Brazilian National

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Monday the arrest of an illegal immigrant from Brazil. The agency explained the man has been wanted in Brazil for attempted murder since October.

ICE additionally confirmed the man, whose identity the agency withheld, entered the United States through Arizona’s southern border and was eventually apprehended for deportation in Massachusetts. He will remain in the agency’s custody until he is removed from the country.

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Navajo County Officials Stonewall Precinct Committeemens’ Request to Create Election Integrity Task Force and Conduct Hand Counts

Rachel Alexander
Celia Laughlin

Concerned Republican precinct committeemen and citizens in Navajo County, a small Republican-leaning county located in the northeastern part of the state, asked the Navajo County Board of Supervisors (NCBOS) recently to take election integrity measures, but are being stonewalled. 

Celia Laughlin told The Arizona Sun Times that in place of addressing their questions and requests at the last board meeting on April 23, Navajo County Manager Bryan Layton “gave a poll worker’s civics class instruction instead.” Layton was appointed county manager less than a year ago, and prior to that he worked in Texas for 10 years. 

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Abortion Not Among Top Five Issues for Arizona Voters, New Survey Reveals

Tom Pappert
Early Voting

A survey released Monday found abortion is not among the top five issues for Arizona voters, who instead are primarily concerned with the southern border and illegal immigration.

The Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) revealed its 2024 Arizona Voters’ Agenda found the majority of the state’s voters named immigration and border security as their most important issue.

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Top Biden Official Visits Arizona Passport Office, 911 Call Center but Not Southern Border in Trip to Understand Impact of Synthetic Opioids

Tom Pappert
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visits Tucson 911 call center

Biden administration Secretary of State of State Antony Blinken on Friday visited Tuscon to participate in a “roundtable on synthetic drugs.” Despite visiting an emergency services call center and a passport office, he did not visit the southern border.

A State Department itinerary of Blinken’s schedule on Friday reveals he was slated to arrive at the Tucson Passport Center at 11:20 a.m. for a “meet and greet” with local employees.

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Federal Judge Refuses to Lift Suspensions of Arizona State University Students Arrested During Anti-Israel Protests

Just the News
Free Palestine demonstration

A federal judge denied a motion filed by 20 Arizona State University students seeking to have their suspensions lifted after they were arrested for trespassing during anti-Israel demonstrations on campus.

The students filed the lawsuit last week against the Arizona Board of Regents, claiming that ASU allegedly violated their First Amendment rights and retaliated against students who were involved in the protest.

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During Oral Arguments at the Arizona Court of Appeals in Kari Lake’s Election Lawsuit, Her Attorney Alleged Numerous Lies by Election Official

Rachel Alexander
Kari Lake Hearing

A panel of three Arizona Court of Appeals judges heard oral arguments on Thursday in Kari Lake’s Rule 60(b) appeal of her election lawsuit. Lake’s attorney, Kurt Olsen, alleged that Maricopa County Co-Elections Director Scott Jarrett told numerous lies.

Lake’s team filed the Rule 60(b) motion requesting a second trial based on newly found evidence, but the trial court judge, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson, greatly limited the scope of her second trial and then ruled against her.

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Arizona Supreme Court Unanimously Reverses Sanctions Against AZGOP for Its Lawsuit Challenging Maricopa County’s Hand Count

Rachel Alexander

The Arizona Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling on Thursday reversing an award of sanctions against the Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) and its attorneys for bringing an election integrity lawsuit. The AZGOP sued Maricopa County election officials over how they conducted the mandatory hand count audit after the 2020 election. The state’s highest court said there is some merit to election lawsuits, even if a “long shot,” and ruling against them for questioning an “election’s legitimacy” would have a “chilling effect.”

The AZGOP issued a statement after the state Supreme Court’s decision.

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