The U.S. Supreme Court saved one of the biggest opinions of the term for its second-to-last day, and its decision triggered reactions on both sides of the aisle in Arizona.
When the nation’s high court handed down its highly anticipated ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, it made a significant correction in the standards for admissions systems used by public universities around the United States. The Court held that race-based standards in Harvard’s and UNC’s admissions programs “violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.”
Writing for the majority coalition of the Court, Chief Justice John Roberts stated, “…the student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual – not on the basis of race. Many universities have for too long done just the opposite. And in doing so, they have concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”
The historic decision by the Supreme Court, drew reactions from Arizona’s politicians on both side of the aisle.
In response to an inquiry from AZ Free News, Senate President Warren Petersen replied, “This is a great decision for the fight against discrimination. The highest court in the land agreed with Martin Luther King Jr. in that you should not be judged by the color of your skin. An individual should be considered for college admissions based on academics, experience, qualifications and character—not by race. I’m thrilled this ruling will bring some sanity back to institutions of higher learning.”
Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope told AZ Free News, “SCOTUS made the right decision today. As the proud son of a Mexican American mother and a white father of German ancestry, our family always knew that we should be judged on our character and not our color. We’re all Americans and we all share a responsibility in keeping this country free of racism & bigotry.”
Sadly, this isn’t a parody account. Just a Biden Field Organizer telling us how she feels… https://t.co/SIAnwArZeR
Democrats, however, took issue with the Court’s ruling. Senate Democratic Leader Mitzi Epstein released a statement after the opinion’s revelation, saying, “Affirmative Action has never been about jumping to the front of the line without any merit. It has been about providing a ladder of equity to help those who have faced adversity in education, the workplace, housing, and every aspect of American life. Affirmative Action has been about providing opportunities for students who are Black and Brown to attend colleges, and for college students to live, love and learn among diverse peers. The same people celebrating this bad Court decision have been actively trying to whitewash history and walk America back to the book-burning past. SCOTUS did not rule against legacy admissions, employee and family recommendations, and grandiose donor admissions. The Court ruled to allow favoritism, but not favoritism for those who have faced racist obstacles. The Court ruled for the favored to get more favors, just as Republican politicians have pushed ways for the rich to get richer, and for the powerful to get more power.”
“The Court ruled for the favored to get more favors, just as Republican politicians have pushed ways for the rich to get richer, and for the powerful to get more power." -Senate Democratic Leader @MitziEpsteinpic.twitter.com/C985mrcA0O
— Arizona Senate Democrats (@AZSenateDems) June 30, 2023
Democrat Representative Analise Ortiz called the Court’s opinion “devastating,” adding that “this ruling upholds white supremacy in higher education and the workforce. Simultaneously, the efforts to privatize K-12 education and drain public schools of funding achieve the same end. We must fight back to ensure racial equity in education.”
Devastating. This ruling upholds white supremacy in higher education and the workforce. Simultaneously, the efforts to privatize K-12 education and drain public schools of funding achieve the same end. We must fight back to ensure racial equity in education. https://t.co/r5iKn6WTB5
— Rep. Analise Ortiz (@RepAnaliseOrtiz) June 29, 2023
Kimberly Yee, the State’s Republican Treasurer, also weighed in on the news of the day, writing, “I applaud the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to keep merit, character and academic achievement the center point of college admissions. The American Dream is attained by putting in the honest, hard work. No one should be able to cut ahead of the line in the name of affirmative action, based on the color of their skin. This decision upholds the core Constitutional principle that no institution in America is allowed to discriminate based on race.”
Today I issued the following statement upon the U.S. Supreme Court's historic decision to overturn affirmative action in the college admissions process. pic.twitter.com/ZY3QfNwjMk
Arizona’s Republican Legislative Leaders continue to fight in federal court on behalf of state laws.
On Monday, House Speaker Ben Toma and Senate President Warren Petersen filed an amicus brief for the case Toomey v. State of Arizona, seeking “to protect Arizona’s recently-enacted statute prohibiting gender reassignment surgeries for minors.”
— Arizona House Republicans (@AZHouseGOP) July 11, 2023
In a statement about the amicus brief, Speaker Toma said, “Although Governor Hobbs and I may disagree on matters of policy, state statute prevails over any statements or executive orders from the Governor. Given that Arizona law prohibits gender reassignment surgeries for anyone under 18, Governor Hobbs cannot expressly or implicitly undo Arizona’s statutory prohibition, through litigation or otherwise. It was critical that the legislature provide this important perspective, which the parties neglected to address in their proposed settlement.”
According to the release issued by Speaker Toma about the submission of the court filing, the amicus brief “seeks to protect Arizona’s statutory mandate by encouraging the court to narrowly interpret the governor’s executive order to avoid a conflict with current law, and it also urges the court to reject the parties’ unreasonable agreement to award $500,000 in taxpayer monies for the plaintiffs’ attorney’s fees.”
The Speaker’s release added that Hobbs’ recent Executive Order, which requires “the state employee health care plan to cover gender reassignment surgeries,” made “no mention of A.R.S. 32-3230, a law that the legislature passed and was signed last year by then-Governor Ducey which prohibits irreversible gender reassignment surgeries for minors.”
That law was the result of SB 1138, which was sponsored by Petersen in 2022. In a letter to then-Secretary of State Hobbs, Ducey wrote, “Distinguishing between an adult and a child in law, as this bill does, is not unique. Throughout law, children are protected from making irreversible decisions, including buying certain products or participating in activities that can have lifelong health implications. These decisions should be made when an individual reaches adulthood. Further, many doctors who perform these procedures on adults agree it is not within the standards of care to perform these procedures on children. The irreversible nature of these procedures underscores why such a decision should be made as an adult, not as a child, and further supports the importance of this legislation.”
Last month, Hobbs signed three Executive Orders that generated significant controversy, including the one in focus for Toma and Petersen’s amicus brief. After the governor’s action, Petersen tweeted, “Instead of helping struggling AZ families plagued by inflation, the governor just issued an order for taxpayers to cover the cost of elective, sex reassignment surgeries. This illegal, out of touch, unprecedented overreach did not receive proper JLBC review as required by law.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
As Arizona’s hot summer drags on, the state’s Senate Republican Caucus continues to work for their constituents, making positive strides to break through a divided government.
On Monday, the Arizona Senate Republican Caucus shared a legislative update “in an effort to provide continued transparency to the media and the public on outstanding issues remaining for the Fifty-sixth Legislature – First Regular Session.” The update highlighted six issues, giving important information on things that have happened behind the scenes.
The first issue was a meeting between Governor Katie Hobbs and Senate President Warren Petersen. The Caucus wrote, “Following President Petersen’s meeting request, he met with Governor Hobbs on Friday and the meeting went well. While there must be consequences for overreaching executive action, we are optimistic on finding a way to move forward in a bipartisan manner that benefits all of Arizona.”
Petersen had transmitted a letter to the Governor’s Office with the meeting request before the July 4th holiday break, following Hobbs’ controversial abortion executive order and a response from some Senate Republicans involving the future of her outstanding nominees for agency positions.
The second issue was about Prop 400, noting that “negotiations are continuing between the Senate, House and Governor’s Office with the common objective to pass a Prop 400 extension before sine die.” This revelation comes after Hobbs vetoed a legislative proposal from Legislative Republicans.
The third issue was water, which has been a huge topic of discussion between Republican and Democrat leaders around Arizona throughout this year. The Senate Republican Caucus noted that “Republican legislators are encouraged by the prospective of a state-driven solution to the current conditions on the Colorado River. To provide the requisite legislative authorization pursuant to A.R.S. § 45-106, Senate and House Leadership sent a letter to the Department of Water Resources on July 6th requesting details needed to act in a timely and efficient manner on the Lower Basin Plan.”
The fourth issue was nominations, and the Senate Republicans shared that their chamber “intends to confirm qualified director nominees.” No timetable was given for this intent, which is significant because of Senator Jake Hoffman’s stand-off with Hobbs over her nominees and the constitutionality of her abortion executive order.
The fifth issue was the Joint Legislative Ad Hoc Study Committee on Water Security, which “will convene on Thursday, July 13 to hear testimony on the Phoenix Active Management Area Model and municipal water resource management.”
The sixth issue was the Joint Legislative Ad Hoc Study Committee on Air Quality and Energy, which “will convene on Thursday, July 13 to receive testimony on our state’s air quality implementation plan and the business impacts of air quality nonattainment.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
The city of Phoenix paid out $1 million to a mother after two adult brothers were shot and killed during a violent domestic dispute in which police responded. The council agreed to the settlement on Monday, which was originally agreed upon in court on May 18.
In October 2020, police responded to a domestic dispute call placed by Lillian Cocreham, the mother of George Cocreham, 43, and Emmett Cocreham, 44. The mother said that her two sons were engaged in a verbal altercation, that one of her sons had a rifle, and that both men would attempt to attack the officers. She also advised the 911 operator that the police had come to her residence multiple times before due to her sons.
The mother alleged to the 911 operator that she initially called the crisis response line, but hung up after 45 minutes of no response. The mother also said she was afraid her elder son, Emmett, would kill her.
“I am fearful for my life,” said the mother. “I’m barricaded in my bedroom. I’m afraid my son Emmett will beat me up and kill me.”
Upon responding to the Cocreham residence, police reported that they saw one of the brothers holding a rifle despite orders to drop it. Police fired after the brother holding the rifle, George, raised and pointed it at Emmett. Police reported that in pointing the gun at Emmett, George was also pointing the gun in the direction of responding officers.
The brothers repeatedly ignored officers’ commands throughout the entire interaction.
The day after the shooting, an uncle of the Cocreham brothers toldABC15 he didn’t blame the officers because the brothers had a history of family violence, some of which warranted prior police response to the house.
Cocreham filed a $12 million notice of claim in April 2021, alleging that police had wrongfully killed her two sons and issued $10,000 in damage and repairs to her property. The claim alleged that police failed to defuse the situation, didn’t provide evidence that the brothers were armed or fired their weapons, and didn’t provide timely medical care to the brothers after they were shot.
“The two deaths resulted directly from the supervising officers’ failure to gain command and control of the scene and of a non-combative situation well within their grasp,” stated the claim. “[The officers] individually and collectively inflamed a domestic disturbance call into an unacceptably chaotic situation.”
Cocreham sued the city later that year in the Arizona District Court.
In an interview concerning the settlement, Cocreham said that she was still working to recover over the damage her home sustained.
“It cost the city money, it cost taxpayers money, it cost the victims money, but it cost you your soul,” said Cocreham. “They’ll try to bring you down as much as you can, they can and they love it, but you know what? You didn’t win this time, because I didn’t lose my boys.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Another Arizona state official is experiencing a high-profile staff departure just over six months after taking office.
On Monday, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced the resignation of her Chief of Staff, Amy Love, informing Arizonans that Love would soon be leaving her team.
In a statement, Mayes said, “Amy Love is an exceptional public servant, and I thank her for her service to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”
The news about Love’s exit highlighted that her final day at the Attorney General’s Office would be August 7, 2023.
Mayes did not immediately indicate what her next move would be for filling the soon-to-be vacant position at the top of her team. Under former Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s administration, the Chief of Staff and Chief Deputy positions were jointly housed under one individual’s job responsibilities. Michael Bailey first held the Chief of Staff and Chief Deputy titles, and then Joe Kanefield, for Brnovich.
When Mayes assumed control of the Attorney General’s Office, she decided to create two positions from the Chief Deputy and Chief of Staff responsibilities. Dan Barr became Mayes’ Chief Deputy at the start of her tenure as the state’s top prosecutor. Love filled the Chief of Staff position.
Love previously worked for U.S. Senator Mark Kelly from Arizona, serving as his Outreach Director from February 2021 to January 2023.
Mayes’ loss within her staff nucleus follows a similar episode with Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs, who found herself without a Chief of Staff earlier this year. On May 25, Hobbs announced that Allie Bones would “be stepping down from her role…after four and a half years of public service with Hobbs” (mostly in the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office). At the time, Hobbs stated, “(Bones’) goal was to build a team that could work across the aisle to navigate divided government, and she accomplished that.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) is amping up his energy on fundraising efforts for his 2024 Senate campaign.
As part of his efforts, Gallego is leaning into memes to gin up support. Although embattled Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake hasn’t officially announced a run, Gallego cited Lake as a reason to support his campaign.
Gallego issued his tweet warning about “Senator Kari Lake” a day before Lake revealed to Breitbart that she was considering running to challenge incumbent Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ). However, Lake disclosed that she had a “lot of options” to choose from, though she didn’t offer details as to what those might be.
“I am contemplating running for office again,” said Lake. “I may run for Senate, I’m considering that.”
Lake convened with the U.S. Senate GOP’s campaign team in May to discuss a possible Senate run. The visit was a follow-up to a February meeting with the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Gallego again relied on a meme to issue an end-of-quarter plea for more funding several weeks ago.
POV: it’s EOQ, and it all adds up when we're all chipping in. Let’s win this!https://t.co/QPMeFHJYUz
According to the latest Federal Election Commission (FEC) data through March, Gallego has raised over $3.7 million since January. Only about 2,200 of his 11,818 contributions have come from Arizona, totaling about $500,000.
Top donors include Evan Goldberg, executive vice president for global technology giant Oracle Corporation; Andrew E. Beck III, managing director for global investment giant D.E. Shaw; and George Pla, CEO of construction engineering giant Cordoba Corporation.
Over $7,000, the single-highest donation, came from the Swallego Victory Fund: the joint committee between Gallego and fellow Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA-14).
Gallego also received thousands of dollars in early support from a number of national unions: United Food and Commercial Workers International Union; National Beer Wholesalers Association; National Association of Letter Carriers of U.S.A.; National Air Traffic Controllers Association; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; International Association of Sheet, Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers; International Association of Firefighters Interested in Registration and Education; International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers; International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental, and Reinforcing Iron Workers; Communications Workers of America
Gallego also received some support from political action committees (PACs) associated with major corporations: Synchrony Financial, Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America, Northrop Grummanm, General Dynamics, and Salt River Valley Water Users’ Association.
Several PACs also issued thousands to Gallego: VoteVets, The Next 50 PAC, and Poet PAC.
Since their inception in 2006, VoteVets brought in over $102.6 million. The Next 50 PAC, registered in 2019 and based out of New York, has brought in over $730,000. Poet PAC, established in 2008 and based out of South Dakota, has brought in over $6.3 million.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
