Arizona

Littering Conviction Overturned for Man Who Supplied Water to Border Crossers

An Arizona man convicted of littering for leaving water in the desert for border-crossing illegal immigrants committed no crime, a federal appeals court has ruled. Daniel Millis, a member of the faith-based group No More Deaths, which provides humanitarian aid to illegal immigrants, was convicted of littering in a bench…

Sep 3, 2010 5:50 PM CDT

Unprecedented DOJ Suit Seeks Documents From Sheriff Joe Arpaio for Civil Rights Probe

A controversial Arizona sheriff who seemingly scores points with many of his constituents by acting as something of a law unto himself was sued today by the U.S. Department of Justice for failing to cooperate with an ongoing civil rights investigation. The suit was virtually a foregone conclusion, notes the…

Sep 2, 2010 6:20 PM CDT

Historic Military Flag Tied to Tea Party Tests Limits of Ariz. Flag-Flying Law

A historic ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ flag dates back to the American Revolution, but is now associated with the modern-day Tea Party movement. So an Arizona man is having a tough time convincing his homeowner association that he should be allowed to fly the historic military flag, reports the New…

Aug 31, 2010 8:10 PM CDT

Supervisor Alleges He’s Victim of County Attorney Extortion Attempt

There’s no shortage of legal news out of Maricopa County, Ariz., when it comes to Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former County Attorney Andrew Thomas. After reports of the Justice Department’s threats to sue Arpaio and allegations that private investigators were tailing a court-appointed lawyer hired to investigate abuse-of-power claims, came…

Aug 20, 2010 4:17 PM CDT

DOJ Files Suit Challenging Ariz. Immigration Law

Updated: The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit that challenges Arizona’s new immigration law and seeks an injunction to halt enforcement. The suit, filed in federal court in Phoenix, claims the the Arizona law is pre-empted by federal law, according to the Washington Post, Fox News and the…

Jul 6, 2010 7:15 PM CDT

ABA Files Amicus Brief with District Court Opposing Arizona Immigration Law

The American Bar Association has filed an amicus brief with an Arizona federal court seeking to block enforcement of the state’s new law designed to fight illegal immigration. The law requires police to seek proof of a person’s immigration status if they have a reasonable suspicion the person is in…

Jul 1, 2010 12:38 PM CDT

It’s What’s for Dinner

Within months of being jailed in Phoenix in January in connection with the disappearance of her infant son, Elizabeth Johnson was accused of assaulting fellow inmates in the Maricopa County Jail and placed on its infamous bread-and-water diet as a disciplinary measure.

Jul 1, 2010 9:50 AM CDT

Maricopa Board to Hire Uber-Arbitrator for Claims Against Sheriff, Ex-County Attorney

The Maricopa County, Ariz., Board of Supervisors is expected Wednesday to approve the hiring of uber-arbitrator Kenneth Feinberg to handle claims brought against the local government by high-level county managers, elected officials, judges and other employees who say they suffered harassment and abuse of power by the sheriff and former…

Jun 22, 2010 5:36 PM CDT

Even After Lawyer Reveals Dead Client’s Seeming Guilt in 2 Murders, Another Man Remains in Prison

Ronald Kempfert says his mother may well have framed his father in the double murder for which he has served some 35 years. A lawyer for a now-deceased inmate says his own client confessed to the killings in which Klempfert’s dad, William Macumber, was convicted. And Arizona’s clemency board last…

Jun 14, 2010 9:46 PM CDT

High Noon for the Sheriff

Thank you, and thanks especially to your senior writer Terry Carter, for an outstanding, provocative and deeply disturbing article, “The Maricopa Courthouse War,” April. The story was compelling and well-documented, and I respect the American Bar Association for daring to print it. It is sad to think that elected law…

Jun 1, 2010 9:10 AM CDT

ABA Offers Refunds to Those Boycotting Arizona Conference

The Equal Justice Conference to be hosted by the American Bar Association next week is being held in Phoenix. And that has put the ABA on the hot seat as individuals and organizations unhappy about the state’s controversial new immigration law call for a boycott of the event. ABA President…

May 6, 2010 10:27 PM CDT

ABA President: Ariz. Immigration Law Is ‘Draconian’ and ‘Likely Unconstitutional’

The president of the American Bar Association strongly criticized a controversial new Arizona immigration law in a written statement today. The law, which requires police to seek proof of an individual’s immigration status if they have a reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country illegally, is seen by…

Apr 30, 2010 10:54 PM CDT

A Different View of the Case of the Destitute Millionaire

An Arizona Republic columnist has chronicled the case of Marie Long, who was worth $1.3 million when she suffered a stroke and came under protection of a Maricopa County, Ariz., probate court in 2005. Today the 88-year-old woman is destitute, and columnist Laurie Roberts has pointed the finger of blame…

Apr 22, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Transcript of OK Corral Gunfight Inquest Is Found in Ariz. Jail

A handwritten transcript of a coroner’s inquest following the most famous gunfight in the history of the Wild West has surfaced in Arizona. Found by court clerks who were sorting through records in a jail storage room in Bisbee, the nearly 130-year-old record of the OK Corral gunfight in Tombstone…

Apr 22, 2010 12:45 AM CDT

Elderly Millionaire Is Destitute After Payment of Fees for Lawyers and Care

Marie Long was worth $1.3 million when she suffered a stroke and came under protection of a Maricopa County, Ariz., probate court in 2005. Today the 88-year-old woman, Marie Long, is destitute after a judge approved $786,000 in attorney, guardianship and companion-care fees for the woman, columnist Laurie Roberts writes…

Apr 13, 2010 10:59 AM CDT