A judge ruled that a ballot measure to curb the influence of Arizona’s labor unions is unconstitutional.
The Maricopa County Superior Court issued its ruling on Friday against HCR 2040 because it included multiple subjects, and the Arizona Constitution requires ballot measures to contain a single subject. This has been the case since 2022, when Arizona voters approved a ballot measure making it a constitutional requirement for ballot measures to be limited to a single subject.
HCR 2040 was a legislatively referred constitutional amendment that would have prohibited school districts from using public funding and public resources to support labor organization operations, and prohibited the state and all its political subdivisions from negotiating with labor organizations.
“A school district employee has a right to negotiate the school district employee’s own terms and conditions of employment, including wages, benefits and working conditions,” stated the ballot measure. “This state or any political subdivision of this state may not negotiate with a labor organization or an exclusive representation agreement, collective bargaining agreement, memorandum of understanding, contract or other agreement regarding the terms and conditions of employment.”
If approved, the ballot measure would have effectively defunded teachers’ unions since they rely on school districts for dues collection. It would have also impacted pay negotiations for police and firefighters.
Democrats were against the ballot measure from the start. House Minority Leader Oscar De Los Santos (LD11) called it a “Republican attack” on first responders, educators, and unions.
🚨 BREAKING: Judge rules that HCR2040 — the Republican attack on public safety, police officers, firefighters, educators, and labor unions — is unconstitutional and kicks it off the November ballot.
Some Republicans, such as Rep. Matt Gress (LD4), agreed.
“At a time when public safety agencies face serious recruitment and retention challenges, our first responders must retain their ability to advocate for the resources they need to keep our communities safe,” said Gress in a statement.
Judge Greg Como ruled in Arizona Education Association v. State of Arizona that the ballot measure included two distinct prohibitions concerning labor unions: one applying to school districts and one applying to the state and its political subdivisions.
“While other provisions of HCR2040 address school districts, those provisions involve the use of public monies and resources to support labor unions,” said Como. “When the topic shifts to contracting with labor unions, the language takes a broader turn and applies to the state and ‘any’ political subdivision. As the provisions deal with separate prohibitions (use of public resources vs. contracting with unions), their context is different.”
Como ordered the secretary of state’s office to not include HCR 2040 on the 2026 General Election ballot.
Republican leadership within the Arizona legislature stated that they wouldn’t appeal the ruling.
HCR 2040 was floated amid negotiations between Republican lawmakers and the Arizona Education Association over the fate of the state’s school choice program, part of a plan by Republican gubernatorial nominee, Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ-05).
“I support a Biggs plan for a one-to-one ballot measure exchange — if the teachers union drops their anti-ESA measure, the Senate will repeal HCR 2040,” said Senate President Warren Petersen (R-LD14) in a statement last month.
I will always fight to protect school choice. To that end, I support the Biggs plan for a one-for-one ballot measure exchange – if the teachers union drops their anti-ESA measure, the Senate will repeal HCR 2040.
Short of this, I see little chance of a special session. I trust…
Despite infighting publicized by a court battle that has lasted over a year, Maricopa County reported that its administration of the 2026 primary election was a success.
Primary election results were processed speedily. About a day — 27 hours — after the polls closed, 99% of ballots were tabulated and reported. After that initial 27-hour mark and as of Friday, there were approximately 3,000 ballots remaining: fewer than 900 provisional or action-needed ballots and around 2,000 ballots that required curing by the deadline on Sunday.
The county reported more than 676,000 ballots cast across more than 250 voting locations, representing more than 26% of total registered voters in the county. As of the end of June, Maricopa County reported having more than 22,000 individuals registered to vote who haven’t provided valid proof of citizenship.
More than 77,000 of the ballots returned were early ballots dropped off on Election Day. Out of those, 23,000 voters used the check-in process to verify their identity on site, enabling on-site tabulation.
Supervisor Mark Stewart credited the county’s elections department, recorder’s office, and poll workers in a press release. Per Stewart, voters and poll workers alike reported the early ballot process to be “fast, efficient, and secure,” which Stewart hailed as a “major step” for improving voter confidence and election results processing times.
“This was a tremendous team effort. The Elections Department, the Recorder’s Office, our poll workers, and every employee supporting the operation knocked it out of the park,” said Stewart.
The speedy turnaround may be attributable to staff efforts to process the ballots turned in on Election Day. Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap reported that his staff came in several hours after midnight the day after Election Day to complete signature verification on all early ballots by early that morning.
“A tremendous thank you to our dedicated elections team, who began work at 2:00 a.m., this morning, and completed the signature verification process in less than 6 hours while upholding the highest standards of accuracy, security, and election integrity,” stated the recorder’s office.
🚨ELECTION UPDATE: Despite receiving the final batch of late-early ballots at 2:40 a.m., my Office completed signature verification on all Election Day early ballots by 8:00 a.m.
A huge thank you to the dedicated staff who came in at 2:00 a.m. to ensure we delivered the fast,… https://t.co/IAEWigKheM
— Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap (@azjustinheap) July 22, 2026
County Chair Supervisor Kate Brophy McGee credited early ballot voters for taking up the on-site identity verification process, rather than dropping off those ballots for post-election validation.
Gov. Katie Hobbs secured more than 293,000 votes in Maricopa County in her challenge-free primary election. Votes cast represented a 43% turnout.
Rep. Andy Biggs won the Republican gubernatorial primary with more than 252,000 votes. Fellow congressman David Schweikert came in second with more than 58,000 votes, followed by Scott Neely’s more than 22,000 votes, and then Ken Miceli’s more than 16,000 votes. Turnout reached 40%.
One Green candidate is in the running for governor, Risa Lombardo, who secured 243 votes. Teri Ann Hourihan secured the No Labels Party nomination with more than 3,600 votes, while Hugh Lytle came in second with 2,900 votes.
Amish Shah secured the Democratic nomination for the Congressional District 1 race with more than 28,000 votes. Marlene Galan-Woods came in second with more than 25,200 votes, followed by Jonathan Treble’s nearly 13,000 votes and Rick McCartney’s 6,000 votes. Voting turnout reached nearly 56%, with more than 75,000 ballots cast.
Jay Feely secured the Republican nomination for the Congressional District 1 race with more than 43,000 votes. State lawmaker Joseph Chaplik came in second with more than 31,000 votes, followed by John Trobough’s more than 12,000 votes. Turnout reached nearly 48%, and there were more than 92,000 ballots cast.
Jonathan Nez didn’t have any primary challengers for the Congressional District 2 race. He will face incumbent Republican Rep. Eli Crane in November, who also didn’t have any primary challengers.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari, the incumbent Democrat for Congressional District 3, didn’t have any primary challengers. A No Labels Party candidate, Alan Aversa, will face Ansari in November.
Rep. Greg Stanton prevailed in the Democratic primary challenge to his incumbency in Congressional District 4, securing more than 35,000 votes. Kai Newkirk came in second with more than 21,000 votes. Turnout reached 47%, and there were more than 58,000 total ballots cast.
Tisha Benoit won the No Labels Party primary for Congressional District 4 over John Fillmore, 979 votes to 518 votes. Turnout represented 44%, and there were more than 2,000 ballots cast.
Zuhdi Jasser was the sole candidate in the Congressional District 4 Republican primary.
Elizabeth Lee won the Democratic primary for Congressional District 5, securing more than 26,000 votes. Chris James came in second with more than 8,000 votes, followed by Brian Hualde with more than 5,000 votes. Turnout reached 45%, and there were more than 42,000 ballots cast.
Mark Lamb won the Republican primary for Congressional District 5, securing more than 40,000 votes. Daniel Keenan came in second with more than 31,000 votes. Turnout reached nearly 42%, and there were nearly 75,000 ballots cast.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani, the incumbent Republican for Congressional District 6, didn’t have any primary challengers. JoAnna Mendoza was the sole candidate in the Democratic Congessional District 6 primary.
Rep. Adelita Grijalva, the incumbent Democrat for Congressional District 7, didn’t have any primary challengers. Daniel Francis Butierez Sr. was the sole candidate in the Republican Congressional District 7 primary.
Likewise, incumbent Rep. Abe Hamadeh didn’t have any challengers in the Republican primary for Congressional District 8. Hamadeh will face off against Democratic candidate Bernadette Greene-Placentia, who prevailed with more than 31,000 votes over Ray Keeler’s 16,000 votes in the Democratic primary.
Rep. Paul Gosar also didn’t have a challenger in the Republican primary for Congressional District 9. Gosar will face off against the sole Democratic candidate, Dani Sterbinsky.
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The latest National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has two key amendments from the Republican nominee for Arizona governor, Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ-05).
The two bipartisan-backed amendments impose budgetary restrictions for poor financial management, and a counter to the Chinese threat of critical mineral mining dominance.
Biggs explained in a statement that the two amendments were critical for public confidence in government accountability and independence concerning nonfuel minerals.
“My amendments address critical issues within America’s massive national defense apparatus, ensuring more transparency and accountability within our government and closing the gap between China and the United States for a critical workforce,” said Biggs.
One of the amendments establishes greater financial oversight of the Department of Defense (DOD). The amendment language was derived from Biggs’ “Audit the Pentagon Act,” one of the first bills introduced by Biggs in 2017.
The amendment requires the DOD, and certain military departments and defense agencies, to submit a financial statement for the previous year and receive an audit opinion. Without a financial statement and audit opinion, the discretionary budget authority will be reduced by 0.5%, except for accounts handling military, reserve, and National Guard personnel and the Defense Health Program.
The DOD has presented “unauditable financial statements” for decades and to date has been the only major federal agency to have never passed an audit, according to a May report by the General Accounting Office (GAO). Since 2018, the Pentagon has failed eight consecutive agency-wide annual audits.
The DOD spends more than $1 trillion annually on foreign and domestic defense — nearly half of the federal government’s discretionary spending. It also retains approximately 82% of the federal government’s total physical assets and its financial management problems account for 17% of the federal government’s costs.
The DOD’s prolonged financial weaknesses contributed to the U.S. insolvency announced by the Treasury Department earlier this year. The U.S. has about $6 trillion in assets against nearly $48 trillion in liabilities.
The GAO reported that the DOD had more than $16 billion worth of previously untracked assets and inventory.
Last month, the GAO reported that the DOD weapons programs have continued wasting billions of dollars and decades of time from exceeding cost estimates and delivery schedules.
The other amendment boosted federal support for accredited mining engineering programs. Chinese mining engineering graduates outnumber American mining engineering graduates annually by anywhere from 15 to 1, to 50 to 1. China reports graduating 3,000 to 10,000 mining-related engineers across dozens of programs, while America reports graduating about 200.
Mining engineering program graduates peaked in 1980, declining from then until 2004, when program resurgence occurred until 2015, according to data from the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration. Even at its most high peak in 1980 and most recent high peak in 2015, graduates numbered between 600 and 700 a year.
The University of Arizona has a mining program.
President Donald Trump issued a memorandum in May directing the Office of Personnel Management to impose critical position pay for up to 400 positions oriented toward expanding U.S. critical mineral capacity, along with advanced materials and other essential components for the supply chain.
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New legislation imposing domestic violence protections in family court apply in all active cases regardless of when the case was originally filed.
State Representative Lisa Fink (R-LD27) issued a notice to make courts and legal partners aware of the applicability of protections imposed by the law she sponsored and Gov. Katie Hobbs signed, HB 2995.
Fink says Arizonans have reported issues with accessing the law’s protections due to a misunderstanding among some that the law only applies to cases filed after the law went into effect last month.
“That is not how the law was written, and it is not what the Legislature intended,” said Fink. “The emergency clause was included so the law would take effect immediately and apply to every active case before the court. Families do not lose these protections simply because their case began before June 22.”
HB 2995, known as the Alec and Lydia Act, overhauled courts’ framework for legal decision-making and parenting time cases by prioritizing domestic violence findings, expanding what qualifies as domestic violence, and requiring the court to issue detailed written findings of domestic violence.
The law established that the safety and well-being of the child and domestic violence victim serve as the highest priority in custody matters, and prohibits courts from requiring domestic violence victims to prove the severity and frequency of abuse to justify restrictions.
The law also requires courts to disregard as irrelevant the child’s absence at the time of the domestic violence, the child’s unawareness that domestic violence occurred, and the child’s preference for maintaining contact with the domestic violence perpetrator.
Additionally, courts may not order domestic violence victims to join their abusers in any treatment or counseling program.
HB 2995 applies when the court is actively considering legal decision-making or parenting time. This includes temporary-order proceedings and requests to modify existing orders.
The legislation was named after Alec and Lydia Mater, siblings killed in a murder-suicide by their estranged father, Brock Mater, during an unsupervised custody visit in May 2024.
At the time of the crime, Mater was experiencing a psychotic episode. In the months prior, he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was undergoing mental health treatment. The court had documented his history of domestic violence.
Alec and Lydia’s mother, Hope Hooton, described during a hearing on the bill earlier this year all the evidence that had been provided in court of Mater’s abuse: physical and sexual violence including strangulation, thrown objects, and stabbings, along with financial, verbal, and emotional abuse to include withholding money and food, and forcing exercise.
“In family court, mothers are often told, ‘He was abusive to you, not the children,’ but research shows this assumption is dangerously wrong,” said Hooton. “The court did not fully evaluate strangulation, coercive control, suicidal or filicidal ideation, and acute psychiatric instability together before granting unsupervised parenting time.”
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Michael Valenzuela granted Mater equal parenting time and joint decision-making. Valenzuela disputed the evidence presented had proved Mater to be a danger to his children, since no police reports existed of abuse directed toward the children.
Hooton advocated for the bill’s passage, saying it aligns with current research-based understanding that abuse of a parent serves as a warning sign to children.
“My children were not killed because of prior child abuse. They were killed in the context of domestic violence, coercive control, mental health crisis, and loss of control,” said Hooton.
Alec was seven years old, and Lydia was six.
“This law is not only about preventing the worst possible outcome, including the death of a child. Children can be profoundly harmed by coercive control, emotional abuse, intimidation and post-separation abuse, even when no physical assault occurs. The Alec and Lydia Act is intended to protect their physical, mental and emotional well-being before that harm becomes irreversible,” said Fink. “The safety and well-being of children and victims of domestic violence must come first. That is the purpose of the Alec and Lydia Act, and its protections are in effect now.”
Few opposed HB 2995’s passage: Sen. Sally Ann Gonzales (D-LD20) and Reps. John Gillette (R-LD30), Alexander Kolodin (R-LD03), Justin Olson (R-LD10), and Cody Reim (R-LD03).
Kolodin explained during the House floor vote that he opposed the bill due to concerns that it would cause rampant and baseless allegations of abuse between feuding spouses.
Kolodin read some provisions of the bill constituting abuse that he alleged were especially harmful: suicidal ideations; firearm cleaning; monitoring or regulating financial activity, which Kolodin said could include reading the family’s credit card statement; demeaning, degrading, or humiliating words or actions; threats to make reports to law enforcement, which Kolodin said could include an abuse victim announcing intent to call police if their abuser hits them again; threats of civil litigation, which Kolodin said could include calling for divorce; and jeopardization of immigration status, which Kolodin said could include refusing to marry a significant other due to their noncitizenship.
“The language of what constitutes abuse in this bill is so broad that it will result in both parents in a family law proceeding almost always being labeled as an abuser,” said Kolodin. “This bill takes everybody in a marriage relationship and labels them as the abuser, forces them to fight to the death at the expense of their reputation and children, as to who is the worse abuser, and it will cause even worse chaos in our family law system. It will destroy families, tear them apart, and cause them lifelong animosity that will do permanent damage to Arizona’s children.”
Olson agreed. He noted that the bill may disincentivize couples from joining their lives too much, like mixing finances.
Fink dismissed the concerns, citing the legislation’s requirement that judges find a “pattern of violent, threatening, or coercive conduct.” Fink said the judicial framework was similar to law enforcement screening tools for domestic violence.
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Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) says he still would like to run for president, in spite of the recent allegations and controversies surrounding him.
Gallego revealed his continued intent to make a 2028 presidential run to KTAR News on Friday during a sit-down interview on Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos.
Gallego justified his electoral victories in Arizona and his Latino ethnicity as the basis of his proposed run, though he described Arizona as “red” rather than purple.
“There’s only a couple of Democrats that are thinking of running for president that have won red states. I’m one of them,” said Gallego. “There’s only a couple of Democrats who can speak to working-class Democrats, especially Latino men. I’m one of them.”
Gallego described his intent as “surface-level” and not too deep.
“We’re thinking about it, right? My first hurdle is: I have three children, and I do have a challenge of figuring out how to balance my time with them and my job and potentially running for office,” said Gallego.
New reporting issued earlier this week revealed that Gallego dated multiple staffers working for other members of Congress while he was serving in the House.
When asked about that past behavior during Friday’s interview, Gallego said he wasn’t “going to engage in gossip” in his past as a bachelor dating around in Congress. He said he supports a rule change to prohibit elected officials from dating other members’ staffers.
“I’m now happily married, I moved on,” said Gallego.
Gallego skirted around questioning as to whether his dating of other congressmembers’ staffers constituted impropriety.
“Anytime I dated anybody, my whole thing that I focused was on being a gentleman, acting like I would want someone to act when it comes to how someone would treat my daughters or my sisters, or things of that nature, and of course I treated everyone like adults and they treated me like adults,” said Gallego.
Gallego offered some defense of his former endorsees: Eric Swalwell, former congressman and California’s former Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Gallego’s ex-longtime best friend, and Graham Platner, Maine’s former Democratic gubernatorial candidate. Both men withdrew from their respective races in their respective states this year following accusations of sexual misconduct and assault.
Gallego said he wasn’t always aware of Swalwell’s day-to-day, and therefore had no suspicions of sexual misconduct.
Gallego also defended his endorsement of Platner pre-sexual assault allegations, calling Platner’s Nazi tattoo “young, stupid Marine” behavior.
Gallego said any and all allegations against him were a product of “the right-wing echo system” based in politics and not truth.
“Guess what? Nothing has shown up. So they’re dogpiling with more and more misinformation,” said Gallego.
The Senate Ethics Committee cleared Gallego of the sexual and financial misconduct alleged in a complaint by a Republican congresswoman out of Florida, Anna Paulina Luna.
The committee reviewed records including from the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Senate secretary expenditures, House of Representatives clerk’s expenditures, and privately sponsored travel documents.
The Department of Justice is investigating Gallego for alleged campaign finance misconduct.
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