Senate President and Republican candidate for attorney general Warren Petersen (LD14) has joined a court fight to ensure only citizens vote in elections.
Petersen filed an amicus brief alongside House Speaker Steve Montenegro (R-LD29) in a case where progressive advocates are challenging the Trump administration’s effort to centralize citizen data across multiple agencies in the name of voter identification verification and even immigration enforcement.
The League of Women Voters (LWV) and several of their local chapters, along with the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and five citizens, sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Social Security Administration (SSA), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Attorney General’s Office over the data centralization last September.
These advocacy groups and private citizens claim the Trump administration’s data pooling violates the 1974 Privacy Act. Judge Sparkle Sooknanan with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia agreed with them in a ruling last month. The federal government has filed for a stay of judgment pending appeal.
Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08), announced his intent to file articles of impeachment against Sooknanan for the ruling, which he claimed was an overreach and weaponization of the judiciary against the executive.
“[This ruling] was a blatant and unlawful subversion of the President’s executive authority and a direct assault on election integrity,” stated Hamadeh. “Judges who weaponize their bench to interfere with the President’s constitutional duties must be held accountable.
Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan’s egregious overreaching ruling blocking President Trump’s common-sense effort to verify the citizenship of those who want to vote in our elections was the final straw.
It was a blatant and unlawful subversion of the President’s executive authority and… pic.twitter.com/ezoLJJhiba
— Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh (@RepAbeHamadeh) July 7, 2026
Petersen argued in their amicus brief that Arizona law relies on the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system to process voter registration and government benefit inquiries.
The lawmakers cited the Purcell principle, a precedent established in the 2006 Supreme Court ruling involving former Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell that declares that the courts should avoid ruling to change election rules too close to an election.
Petersen and Montenegro argued voter confidence in Arizona and other states would be jeopardized if the court declined to withhold enforcement of its ruling while the appeal was underway. Other states impacted by the district court ruling hindering SAVE usage for elections, as well as immigration enforcement, include Florida, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio.
“Making changes to an important election-integrity system at this late stage in the election season creates unnecessary confusion for election officials and the public,” stated the brief. “This court’s order altered an election-related process in the middle of elections around the nation and thus harms the states’ interest in maintaining voters’ confidence in the electoral process.”
Their brief also argued that the ruling would fly in the face of federalism, the mechanism on which states rely to exercise their laws.
Today, I filed an amicus brief in the DC district court supporting DHS’s efforts to ensure that only citizens are voting in our elections. It may not surprise you that the ACLU is in opposition. pic.twitter.com/63JC2MJP1U
Attorney General Kris Mayes and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes have stood opposed to the Trump administration’s data centralization and voter verification efforts as alleged breaches of privacy.
Today, Judge Susan Brnovich's dismissed the DOJ's lawsuit demanding our voter registration rolls. @AZSecretary and I will continue to defend the privacy of voters against federal overreach.
As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, one of the finest blessings our Founders gave our nation stands out with particular clarity: the system of free enterprise. That system did not merely enable liberty and prosperity in the abstract.
It unleashed the human ingenuity, risk-taking, and capital allocation that turned America into the world’s unrivaled energy superpower.
From the coal age that fueled the Industrial Revolution, through the oil age that powered the 20th century, to the LNG age we now dominate, American free enterprise has repeatedly delivered technological leadership and abundance. No central planner designed these revolutions.
Entrepreneurs, engineers, and investors did, operating in a system that rewards results above political connections.
Today that legacy is unmistakable. The United States leads the world by a wide margin in the production of both oil and natural gas. We have also become the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, shipping reliable energy to allies across Europe and Asia who once relied on less friendly suppliers.
While some critics like to call this an accident of geology, they’re wrong. America’s LNG dominance is the direct result of the shale revolution, advanced drilling techniques, and a policy environment that, when properly structured, lets markets work.
America once held a similar commanding position in nuclear power. We built the world’s first commercial reactor and led in reactor technology for decades. Then came the 1979 Three Mile Island incident. Irrational fears, amplified by media and activists, led to a bureaucratic paralysis in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission which stalled new construction for two generations. Promising projects died in paperwork as existing plants faced endless regulatory hurdles. America fell behind while other nations pressed forward.
Today, that era is ending. The Trump administration is delivering a major push to revitalize America’s nuclear power industry. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum have announced major project milestones in recent weeks, including new loan programs to support large-scale reactors and breakthroughs on advanced designs such as microreactors that have already achieved criticality.
These steps signal a return to regulatory sanity and a recognition that abundant, reliable, carbon-free baseload power is essential for both economic growth and national security.
Wind and solar have also established a robust presence on every major U.S. regional grid. These intermittent sources now deliver meaningful power to homes and businesses when the weather cooperates. American companies and workers have built real expertise and infrastructure in these sectors. Yet the United States remains far behind China in manufacturing scale and deployment speed, and subservient to the Chinese Communist Party for the raw materials that make them work.
As Secretary Wright posted on X this week, the massive Biden-era subsidies that distorted markets and enriched foreign supply chains begin phasing out this month. That transition will test the true competitiveness of these technologies without artificial support. Their future contribution will depend on genuine cost reductions and technological improvement, not ever-rising subsidies from taxpayers and ratepayers.
America’s dominant position across fossil fuels, its returning strength in nuclear power, and its established role in renewables together form an unmatched energy portfolio. This abundance has been no small factor in making the United States the world’s dominant geopolitical power. Reliable, affordable energy underpins manufacturing resurgence, data-center growth, and an enduring military edge that deters adversaries. It keeps our economy the envy of the world, with lower energy costs than most competitors and the flexibility to adapt to new demands.
Most importantly, energy dominance sustains the God-endowed freedoms our Founders secured. Cheap, reliable power frees families from energy poverty. It powers the innovations that improve daily life. It supports the industries that create the jobs and wealth that let individuals and communities flourish according to their own lights rather than government dictates.
On this 250th anniversary, we should give thanks not only for the Declaration of Independence and the visionaries who created it, but for the practical system of ordered liberty that turned a resource-rich continent into the engine of global progress.
Free enterprise did not merely discover America’s energy wealth. It developed it, refined it, and continues to expand it. That is a blessing worth celebrating not just this weekend, but every day.
David Blackmon is a contributor to The Daily Caller News Foundation, an energy writer, and consultant based in Texas. He spent 40 years in the oil and gas business, where he specialized in public policy and communications.
The planned opening of a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Arizona has been delayed.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE, and Attorney General Kris Mayes have entered an agreement to pause the conversion of a property in Surprise into an immigration detention center pending an environmental review.
Mayes sued to halt the property conversion in April, claiming DHS and ICE failed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
The agreement reached on Tuesday acknowledged the Trump administration’s duty to adhere to the former through an environmental analysis, but didn’t address the latter allegation pertaining to the federal government’s duty to arrange for “appropriate” places for immigration detention.
Mayes described the agreement as a “significant win” in a press release issued on Wednesday.
“Federal agencies must complete the environmental review process required by federal law before moving forward with these types of projects,” said Mayes.
This agreement is a significant win for the people of Surprise and for the rule of law. Federal agencies must complete the environmental review process required by federal law before moving forward with these types of projects.
— AZ Attorney General Kris Mayes (@AZAGMayes) July 1, 2026
Similar legal challenges alleging NEPA noncompliance have impacted other immigration detention facility projects in other states: Maryland, Michigan, and New Jersey. The Trump administration initially attempted to argue its conversion projects were exempt from the NEPA, but after losing to a challenge in Maryland the administration pivoted on its approach to the Michigan and New Jersey challenges to agree to environmental reviews.
Environmental reviews take typically months, if not years, to complete. However, the Trump administration has recently made a point of expediting environmental reviews in other politically pressing situations.
Last spring, the Department of the Interior announced it would accelerate the review process to be completed in under a month in order to meet the demands of President Donald Trump’s declaration of a National Energy Emergency.
No reports have emerged indicating that the Trump administration plans to undertake similar expediting measures to get the Surprise or other planned immigration detention facilities up and running.
There may not be much of a desire for an expedited turnaround given another recent development.
New leadership within the Trump administration has indicated plans to reverse course on the national buildout of additional detention facilities. ICE announced last month that it would be selling or passing along to other agencies seven of the 11 facilities it had initially purchased to convert into detention facilities. The Surprise facility wasn’t among the seven facilities identified for offloading.
Kristi Noem, former DHS secretary, had directed the facility purchases and guided the conversion plans. The new DHS secretary, Markwayne Mullin, said in a statement to The New York Times that ICE would be prioritizing plans that facilitated the expedited removal of illegal aliens, not prolonged “hous[ing of them] on American soil at the taxpayer’s expense.” Instead, DHS will maximize the use of existing detention space through state and county partners.
At present, ICE has four facilities in Arizona: the Central Arizona Florence Correctional Center in Florence, the Florence Service Processing Center in Florence, the Eloy Detention Center in Eloy, and the San Luis Regional Detention Center in San Luis.
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Arizona Senate Republicans attended a White House State Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., where they met with senior Trump administration officials and Cabinet leaders. Discussions focused on key issues impacting Arizona, including border security, economic development, healthcare accountability, energy independence, and government reform.
The conference, hosted by the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, brought together state leaders and federal officials for discussions on national and state policy priorities.
Arizona lawmakers spent approximately 42 hours in the nation’s capital engaging directly with administration leaders on issues impacting Arizona families, businesses, and communities.
🇺🇸The people making decisions in Washington heard directly from Arizona.🌵🏔️🚜
Border security. Public safety. Water. Energy. Healthcare accountability.
Here's a quick look at what Arizona Senate Republicans discussed with White House and Cabinet leaders this week. ⬇️… pic.twitter.com/lcjgXIYUEu
Among the federal officials participating in the conference were Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, White House Faith Director Jennifer Korn, Council of Economic Advisor representative Aaron Hedlund, and White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Director Ashely Walukevich.
The trip comes as Arizona lawmakers continue implementing several policy initiatives aligned with President Donald Trump’s federal agenda.
Republican legislative leaders noted that Arizona is currently the only state implementing the full package of tax relief provisions included in the One Big Beautiful Bill, including eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay while expanding tax relief for families, seniors, and small businesses.
During the conference, Arizona lawmakers also received a letter from the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs expressing support for Arizona’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget.
✅ The White House is applauding the conservative budget delivered by Arizona Republicans.
— Arizona House Republicans (@AZHouseGOP) June 17, 2026
“The White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs strongly supports Arizona’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget and commends Speaker Steve Montenegro and Senate President Warren Petersen for Arizona’s republican leadership in advancing a fiscally responsible budget that strengthens government accountability while implementing key reforms enacted through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act,” wrote Walukevich in the June 15, letter.
The White House specifically highlighted provisions aimed at strengthening oversight of public assistance programs. According to the letter, the FY 2027 budget includes measures requiring the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) and the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) to enhance eligibility verification, improve income validation procedures, reduce reliance on self-attestation, and strengthen program oversight for Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
The administration stated that the reforms are intended to ensure taxpayer-funded benefits are directed to eligible recipients while reducing waste, fraud, and abuse.
“Arizona’s inclusion of these reforms reflects a commitment not only to complying with federal law, but to delivering better outcomes for taxpayers and beneficiaries alike,” added Walukevich. “These measures will improve program integrity, reduce error rates, and help preserve resources for the individuals and families these programs are intended to serve.”
Senate President Warren Petersen (R-LD14) said the conference provided an opportunity for Arizona Lawmakers to strengthen relationships with federal officials while ensuring Arizona’s priorities are represented in federal policymaking discussions.
🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Arizona Senate Republicans Advance Arizona Priorities at White House State Leadership Conference with Trump Cabinet Leaders
“Arizona families are best served when leaders focus on solutions instead of political theater,” stated Petersen. “This conference provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen relationships with White House officials and Cabinet leaders who understand that states are often closest to the people and the challenges they face. They were genuinely interested in hearing Arizona’s perspective and incorporating feedback from state leaders as federal policies are developed and implemented.”
According to Arizona Senate Republicans, discussions throughout the conference covered a wide variety of issues, including border security, fentanyl and human trafficking, law enforcement cooperation, regulatory reform, fuel affordability, Medicaid integrity, hospice fraud, mental health, homelessness, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, domestic mineral production, religious liberty, economic growth, grid reliability, nuclear energy, and Arizona’s long-term energy needs.
Lawmakers also highlighted state priorities including water security and Colorado River management, transportation infrastructure, support for veterans and first responders, election administration, public safety, healthcare accountability, financial crimes targeting seniors, and energy infrastructure development.
Arizona Senators attending the conference included Senate President Warren Petersen (LD14), President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope (LD16), Majority Leader John Kavanagh (LD3), Majority Whip Frank Carroll (LD28), Tim Dunn (LD25), Wendy Rogers (LD7), David Gowan (LD19), Carine Werner (LD4), Hildy Angius (LD30), David Farnsworth (LD10), and Mark Finchem (LD1).
“Arizona has become a model for the nation on issues ranging from economic growth and tax relief to public safety and government accountability,” concluded Petersen. “Maintaining those open lines of communication helps ensure Arizona remains a strong voice in shaping policies that benefit both our state and the country.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
An Arizona coal-fired power plant will receive federal funding for modernization efforts under a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) initiative aimed at strengthening grid reliability and preserving dispatchable power generation.
According to the DOE, project selections announced under its Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III Coal Fleet Projects program, Arizona Electric Power Cooperative’s (AEPCO) Apache Generating Station will receive approximately $21 million in DOE funding along with $32 million in non-DOE funding. The project is one of several selected nationwide as part of the Trump administration’s effort to support coal-fired generation infrastructure.
The Apache project, known as RECOAL — Revitalizing Energy Capacity with Optimized Assets and Long-Life Infrastructure — is intended to modernize the facility’s coal generation assets, improve operational efficiency, and extend the useful life of existing infrastructure.
Arizona Corporation Commissioner Nick Myers highlighted the project in a statement following the federal announcement.
“In the recent announcement from the administration, Arizona is benefiting from the money designated to keep coal plants open,” Myers wrote. “The Apache Generating Station is getting about $21M in DOE funding and $32M in non-DOE funding. This will help modernize the plant to increase efficiency and retain that dispatchable energy for years to come.”
In the recent announcement from the administration, Arizona is benefiting from the money designated to keep coal plants open. The Apache Generating Station is getting about $21M in DOE funding and $32M in non-DOE funding. This will help modernize the plant to increase…
— Nick Myers – Arizona Corporation Commissioner (@votenickmyers) June 5, 2026
The funding was announced as part of a broader DOE initiative described in a department fact sheet titled “The Energy Department is Unleashing Beautiful Clean Coal.” According to the agency, the initiative supports projects to build, recommission, upgrade, and modernize coal-related energy infrastructure in order to strengthen electric grid reliability and maintain generation resources capable of providing power on demand.
The DOE stated that it has now “saved or supported” 45 coal plants and more than 40 gigawatts of coal-powered generation through actions taken since President Donald Trump declared a National Energy Emergency. The department said its latest actions include support for 17 additional coal plants and one coal export facility.
According to the DOE fact sheet, the coal fleet projects are intended to strengthen domestic energy production, improve power system resilience, and ensure sufficient dispatchable generation capacity as electricity demand increases. The agency cited growing power needs for artificial intelligence, data centers, manufacturing, and national security as factors driving the initiative.
“American coal miners remain essential to American energy dominance,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said.”Unfortunately, previous leaders launched relentless attacks on U.S. coal workers and industry, threatening grid reliability and driving energy prices higher for the American people. Thanks to President Trump, we are not only stopping the premature closure of our coal plants, but also taking steps to expand and modernize existing coal infrastructure. These actions will help ensure affordable, reliable, and secure energy access for decades to come.”
The Apache Generating Station is located in Cochise County and supplies power to rural electric cooperatives and other customers in Arizona and the surrounding region. Under the DOE-supported project, modernization efforts are expected to improve efficiency and support continued operation of the facility’s existing generation assets.
The Trump administration also intervened in Arizona’s coal-powered energy sector in 2025, using emergency authorities to support continued operations at the Cholla Power Plant in Navajo County.
