Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs cursed out the country after the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion circulated on Monday night. She capitalized on the incident with a plug to fundraise for her campaign.
“F**k the patriarchy,” said Hobbs. “If you agree, help us defend the right to choose in Arizona.”
State Representative and congressional candidate Walt Blackman (R-Snowflake) criticized Hobbs as not being a serious individual in response.
You are not a serious person.
— Walt Blackman for Congress (@BlackmanForAZ) May 3, 2022
Politico published the leaked opinion on Monday night. Justice Samuel Alito authored the 98-page draft majority opinion, which dated back to February. Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett signed onto the opinion.
Tuesday morning, Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the authenticity of the draft. He ordered an investigation into the leak. Although much speculation abounded following the Politico report, no official suspects have been named.
Roberts assured the country that the leak wouldn’t influence the final ruling.
“To the extent this betrayal of the confidences of the Court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed. The work of the Court will not be affected in any way,” said Roberts.
JUST IN: The Supreme Court confirms the authenticity of the draft opinion revealed last night by Politico. The chief justice has ordered an investigation into the leak. pic.twitter.com/XZweHdyhCG
While Arizona’s Republican elected officials acknowledged the draft opinion’s content, their greater focus was on the individual responsible for the leak. Arizona’s Democratic elected officials, however, focused on their disagreement with the opinion. They didn’t address the alleged impropriety of the leak — some appeared to even justify it.
Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) said that while he agreed with the ruling, he disapproved of the leak and speculated that someone with pro-abortion views was responsible. Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ-04) concurred.
The leaked SCOTUS draft was likely from a far left law clerk who is trying to derail the final decision by creating mass outrage, hoping to scare a Justice to change his or her mind.
Congressman Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-07) argued that the bigger issue at hand wasn’t the fact that someone compromised the process of the highest court in the land by leaking sensitive documents unintended for public consumption. Rather, he argued that the bigger issue was how SCOTUSblog, the independent media blog offering Supreme Court reporting, engaged in “inside ball bulls**t.”
Making women second class citizens I think is a graver sin than your inside ball bullshit. https://t.co/7AaRtS6k1c
Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ-02) argued that the draft opinion didn’t reflect the American people’s will. One of the first arguments in the majority draft opinion asserted that both Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood weren’t based on legal rationale. Rather, Alito wrote that both rulings contained arbitrary, legislation-like rules.
There’s been a lot of horrific long-term damaging news over the past several years, none have hit me like this.
We must vocalize our dissent. This is not the will of the American people. https://t.co/DNjYlpfQza
— Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (@RepKirkpatrick) May 3, 2022
Both of Arizona’s Democratic Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly didn’t address the leak, just their disagreement with the draft majority opinion.
Vice President Kamala Harris accused the Supreme Court justices of “want[ing] to punish women” by “tak[ing] away their rights to make decisions about their own bodies.” Harris claimed that the ruling threatened the “right to privacy” — a concept not enumerated within the Constitution but contrived in the 1890s by Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis.
President Joe Biden pledged to push for legalized abortion on demand legislation, should the draft opinion become the final ruling.
The leak inspired pro-abortion and pro-life activists to turn up at the courthouse.
Amid the worsening inflation crisis, the Republican-led Arizona House is proposing to give the University of Arizona (UArizona) a $30 million grant, effectively funding a partnership with an Israeli company to study drip irrigation.
The bill, SB1564, originally had nothing to do with a grant study. It changed completely through a strike-everything amendment after receiving unanimous support in the Senate. State Representative Tim Dunn (R-Yuma) introduced the amendment; Dunn serves as a member of the House Natural Resources, Energy, & Water Committee.
The current version of the bill would establish the “On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Pilot Program” for UArizona to study how to reduce farms’ water usage and either minimize or eliminate the use of flood irrigation. UArizona partners with N-Drip for irrigation studies, an Israeli company that created an irrigation system using gravity rather than pumps or filters for water flow. N-Drip wasn’t mentioned in the bill.
N-Drip also partners with the Central Arizona Project (CAP) to cover installation costs for demonstrative projects.
N-Drip enlisted two veteran lobbyists to advocate for the bill: Wendy Briggs and Jeff Sandquist of Veridus. UArizona also sent their lobbyist, Sabrina Vazquez.
Data from the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) noted that irrigated agriculture uses about 74 percent of Arizona’s water supply.
The bill has received near-unanimous support in the House thus far. It’s on track to be voted on by the entire House soon.
Critics took to Twitter, saying that the grant was ironic given the fact that cost of living has skyrocketed for Arizonans.
Folks can’t afford groceries, gas, rent, tuition but looks like @AZHouseGOP@AZSenateGOP are fast tracking a $30Million taxpayer grant for a “study” on drip irrigation for an Israeli company via #UofA Really? #SB1564 N Drip 💦 pic.twitter.com/RWaIPDsOFk
The legislation would parce out the grant over three years, coming out at $10 million a year.
Sun Devil legislator supporting the Wild Cats at the Arizona Capitol with President Dr Robbins.
This year I supported #sb1564 which gives UofA $30 million over 3 years to create pilot program to incentivize the transition from flood irrigation to more efficient irrigation ways. pic.twitter.com/BOcoponSzq
On Monday, the Arizona House approved the Senate bill appropriating $400 million to widen the I-10 highway between Chandler and Casa Grande.
SB1239 enables the funds to not only be used for construction, but for obtaining federal funds to match the state funds.
The Biden administration has already allocated funds to the I-10 under the president’s infrastructure initiative.
Today the House overwhelmingly passed SB1239, committing $400 million to join with federal infrastructure funds (thanks President Biden!) to widen I-10 near Casa Grande. Leader @reginaldbolding explains the importance of infrastructure investment. #azlegpic.twitter.com/BapBVF0TQa
— Arizona House Democrats (@AZHouseDems) May 2, 2022
The I-10 is the fourth-largest national highway in the country, connecting the southernmost states from coast to coast.
State Senator T.J. Shope (R-Coolidge) sponsored the bill.
By a vote of 55-1, the AZ House of Reps has passed my SB1239 (Appropriation; Widening; I-10). It’ll be transmitted to Gov @DougDucey this afternoon. We will finally have a widened I-10 between Casa Grande & Phoenix! I will have a more formal statement on this later today. #AZLegpic.twitter.com/qiJQxNHwNm
The House and Senate passed it almost unanimously. Only State Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R-Scottsdale) and State Representative Jacqueline Parker (R-Mesa) voted against it.
Ugenti-Rita insisted that the funding wasn’t a wise move fiscally.
“Thank you, Joe Biden”….that is something I will never agree with.
Voting on appropriation bills outside of the budget process is not how you craft a conservative and fiscally responsible budget.
Over the weekend, leaders from across the world convened in Sedona for an annual event dedicated to collectively solving global issues: the McCain Institute’s Sedona Forum. Among them was Governor Doug Ducey.
A recap of the event focused on the word “democracy.” Featured speakers insisted on white supremacy’s hold on U.S. institutions, argued that the significance of 9/11 ended with January 6, lamented distrust in mainstream media, and proposed tactics for increasing aggression against Russia for invading Ukraine.
While at the event, Ducey published a series of tweets declaring that Russia was attacking democracy and freedom by invading Ukraine. He commended the late senator, John McCain, for warning Americans about Russia and Vladimir Putin. Ducey didn’t mention NATO’s role in instigating the war. However, he did post a candid photo of his conversation with former NATO and Ukraine ambassador Kurt Volker.
Though Volker only served as NATO ambassador for one year, 2008 to 2009, he worked on NATO-related assignments beginning in 1998. Volker’s U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC) Ambassador position incited controversy due to former President Donald Trump’s investigatory attempts into President Joe Biden and Hunter Biden’s business dealings in China and Ukraine.
Volker helped create Arizona State University’s (ASU) Ukrainian campus, American University Kyiv, which stalled at the end of February due to the Russian invasion.
Senator McCain had been sounding the alarm about Russia and Putin. Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine is an attack on democracy and freedom. Arizona stands with the men and women of Ukraine putting up an incredible fight – from President Zelensky to everyday citizens. 2/
ASU President Michael Crow was also in attendance at the Sedona Forum. He co-hosted a panel with Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL-16) and The New Yorker writer Sue Halpern to discuss cybersecurity.
Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) was also present at the Sedona Forum.
I'm excited to be opening the @McCainInstitute’s Sedona Forum on strategic competition, a topic where we miss Senator McCain’s voice and leadership as much as ever.
The event had moderators and reporter coverage provided by its “media partner,” The Washington Post — the very publication that doxxed the woman behind “Libs of TikTok,” the popular social media account relied on by parents and politicians for showcasing leftist ideologies and political trends.
The U.S. House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021 incident announced on Monday that it requested a meeting with Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05). The committee called cooperation “a patriotic duty.” They asked that Biggs meet with them as soon as next Monday.
In a letter, the January 6 Committee informed Biggs of four of an undisclosed number of issues it wished to discuss.
The first issue concerned his participation in meetings to reject the election results, citing one House Freedom Caucus meeting which discussed a plan for former Vice President Mike Pence to refuse certain states’ electoral votes. The second issue concerned claims from Ali Alexander — an organizer of Stop the Steal, a campaign to resist the 2020 election results — that Biggs helped organize the January 6 protest. The third issue concerned Biggs’ communications with former President Donald Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows that reportedly marked efforts to persuade elected officials in overturning the 2020 election. The fourth issue concerned Biggs’ name appearing among those requesting presidential pardons for involvement in election overturning efforts.
The committee said that it would use Biggs’ cooperation to “make informed legislative recommendations.”
In raising each issue, the committee associated Biggs’ relation to Trump’s attempts to undermine American democracy and the Constitution, as well as Alexander’s calls for violence preceding January 6.
Biggs hasn’t issued a statement on the committee’s letter.
The committee also requested cooperation from Congressmen Mo Brooks (R-AL-05) and Ronny Jackson (R-TX-13). Each congressman received a letter tailored to their involvement in the January 6 rally and Capitol breach.
The Select Committee has requested cooperation from three additional members of the House of Representatives: • Rep. Andy Biggs • Rep. Mo Brooks • Rep. Ronny Jackson pic.twitter.com/ioB1rGxAG5
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) May 2, 2022
Brooks’ letter concerned his public remarks on a televised interview with CBS News and a press release in March. He claimed that Trump asked him to rescind the 2020 election results. Brooks said that he refused. The committee wanted to glean from Brooks additional evidence that Trump intended “to restore himself to power through unlawful means,” in a manner adverse to the Constitution.
Jackson’s letter was the lengthiest. It included encrypted text messages from the founder and various members of Oath Keepers, a right-wing militia organization formed to defend the Constitution against perceived violations from government. Those messages asked members that breached the U.S. Capitol on January 6 to locate and protect Jackson because he had “critical data to protect.”
The committee asked Jackson why those charged with seditious conspiracy were attempting to protect him. Additionally, they asked Jackson to expound on his participation in the rally preceding the Capitol breach and efforts to barricade the House Chamber during the breach.
Like Biggs, neither Brooks or Jackson have issued statements on their committee letters.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
