Arizona State Law Journal Blog

By Nicholas Traver. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is once again demanding stronger safety regulations and increased funding for its regulation of the dietary supplement industry. This month, the FDA released its budget request for fiscal year 2023 totaling $8.3 billion. The budget proposal exceeds FY2022’s request by almost $2 billion and includes […]

By Joanna Jandali. In 2013, two Arizona parents’ lives were shattered when they learned that ISIS had taken their daughter hostage in Syria. Kayla Mueller grew up in Prescott, Arizona, attending Northern Arizona University where she received a bachelor’s degree in political science. From a young age, Kayla dedicated herself to helping others. In high […]

By Sydney Plaskett. On March 30, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey enacted a wave of controversial bills, one of which mandates documentary proof of US citizenship (DPOC) to vote in elections. While the law will likely be shut down in the courts, it could potentially cut off voting for at least 31,500 Arizona voters in the […]

By Kylie McNamara. This spring, I am participating in ASU Law’s Washington, DC program. During my time in DC, I had the opportunity to meet Michael Regan, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), and hear him speak on different topics, including the new Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed this […]

By Sarah Doberneck. On March 1, 2022, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case Kahn v. United States, which involves an Arizona doctor convicted of unlawfully prescribing controlled substances. Specifically, the doctor was convicted for an opioid pill peddling scheme. The case highlights the conflict between the government’s need to control […]

By Noah Goldenberg. Reauthorization of VAWA On March 15, 2022, President Joe Biden reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”). VAWA’s reauthorization clarifies the limits of a debilitatingly narrow view of tribal criminal jurisdiction. Passed with bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress, VAWA recognizes Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction (“STCJ”) over non-Indians who commit “covered […]

By Luke Sower. On March 15, the U.S. Senate passed by unanimous consent the Sunshine Protection Act. This bill—if it passes the House and receives the signature of President Biden—would make Daylight Savings Time (DST) permanent across the United States. History of Daylight Savings Time Despite the story told to many American schoolchildren, modern Daylight […]

By Natalie Packard. Gas prices across the nation have been at a record high for the past several weeks. Inflation has been sharply rising for months, spiking as the U.S. cut off Russian oil imports after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In response to taxpayers’ frustration about the $4.33 gas price average, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly […]

By Matthew Adler. A High-Profile Case As many Arizonans have probably heard, the Supreme Court of Arizona recently invalidated a large and highly publicized piece of legislation known as Senate Bill 1819. The case, Arizona School Boards Association v. State, made waves in both the legal and non-legal communities and is notable for several reasons. […]

By Stefan Oakley. In Puente v. Arizona State Legislature, the Arizona Court of Appeals considered whether a group of non-profit organizations and Arizona residents (together, the Appellants) could hold the state legislature accountable, in court, for an alleged breach of Arizona’s Open Meeting Law (the “OML”). Appellants alleged that 26 members of the Arizona state […]

By Emily Tegley. When does a single criminal offense end and another begin? The Supreme Court addressed this issue in the recent opinion Wooden v. United States. THE ARMED CAREER CRIMINAL ACT In 1984, Congress passed the Armed Career Criminal Act (“ACCA”) to address repeat offenders. The ACCA applies to individuals who have three or […]

By Kristin Leaptrott. On March 3, 2022, President Biden signed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 (“EFASA”). This law represents a significant “win” for the MeToo movement as it prohibits employers from enforcing mandatory arbitration agreements against employees bringing claims against their employers for sexual harassment or sexual […]

By Julianne Baggett. A day before the International Transgender Day of Visibility, Governor Douglas A. Ducey signed two anti-trans bills into law: Senate Bill 1138 (“SB1138”) and Senate Bill 1165 (“SB1165”). Previously, SB1138 had died in committee after the Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard three hours of public testimony. Less than one week […]

By Chloe Plaisance. Earlier this year, members of the Arizona legislature introduced House Bill 2112, a bill regulating classroom instruction that prohibits educators from teaching Critical Race Theory (“CRT”). This comes just months after a CRT ban was stricken from the annual state K–12 budget bill. CRT is a field of study that has caused […]

By Nicholas Hodder. The San Pedro River flows northward from the mountains in Sonora, Mexico, crosses the border into Arizona, and continues 140 miles to its confluence with the Gila River in Winkelman, Arizona. It is the last major, undammed desert river in the American Southwest. It hosts over 300 species of migratory birds, including […]

By Keith Knight. In January 2022, an Arizona State Senator, Wendy Rogers, introduced SB 1341, a bill which seeks to amend the Arizona Revised Statutes to add Bitcoin as a legal tender in Arizona. Thus far, only one jurisdiction in the world has taken the decision to make Bitcoin legal tender, El Salvador. Though it […]

By Kristina Major. On February 2, 2022 people across the United States celebrated the 36th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day, commemorating Title IX’s 50th anniversary. This year, the day followed weeks of discussions surrounding the fact that many cheer, dance, and spirit programs are not granted the same Title IX protections as […]

By Alexander Egber. It’s hard to find a more contentious issue in American politics today than voting rights. Most of the media’s attention on the topic has justifiably focused on the current Congress’s effort to pass federal voting rights legislation that would supersede the Supreme Court’s much-discussed decisions in Shelby County v. Holder and Brnovich […]

By Kaylee Racs. On February 25, employees at a Mesa, Arizona Starbucks voted 25–3 in favor of unionizing their store. The Starbucks, located at Power and Baseline roads, became the third company-owned store across the nation, and the first outside of New York, to organize a successful union push. The employees’ victory comes on the […]

By Gabriela Berigan. The 2020 election caused a severe divide between the political parties. This divide was more notable in swing states, which ultimately decided the results of the election. Trump challenged these states on multiple instances but was unsuccessful on all but one occasion. There were four different challenges in Arizona specifically, but these […]

By Turner Smith. Arizona Senate Republicans narrowly voted to pass Senate Bill (“SB”) 1164 on February 15, 2022. SB 1164 bans abortions after 15 weeks. SB 1164 advanced to the House where it received its first read on February 28, 2022. With a very slight Republican majority, SB 1164 will likely pass. Governor Doug Ducey, […]

By Michael O’Neill. Grant Woods passed away on October 23, 2021. I first learned of his passing when my professor, 9th Circuit Judge Andrew Hurwitz took a moment at the end of class to reflect on Grant’s legacy. Judge Hurwitz knew Grant professionally for many years but also played on a softball team with him […]

By Oscar Porter. February 2022: Phoenix Police ambushed and shot. Several law enforcement officers were ambushed in South Phoenix last month, continuing a trend of violence against police that stretches back almost two years. The ambush occurred during an attempt to rescue a young woman and her one-month-old baby. A total of five officers were […]

By Alicia Curti. Most consumers in the United States own a cell phone and use it regularly for various purposes, including location and navigation services. Among the most popular cell phones are Google’s Android devices. Some more tech savvy consumers, if they want to be cautious or desire privacy, may know that they can disable […]

By Kelsey Weinman. On January 24, 2022, the Supreme Court granted certiorari on two cases challenging affirmative action in college admissions: Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina. The Supreme Court has previously held that universities may use race in determining admissions, […]

By Avery Cartwright. Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska and 2008 vice presidential candidate, filed suit against The New York Times in federal court after the Times published a 2017 editorial that erroneously connected her to the January 2011 mass shooting near Tucson, Arizona. Although the jury dismissed the case in early February 2022, Palin […]

By Spencer Shockness. It goes without saying that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world in a variety of ways. For Arizona courts, the pandemic and the shut-downs accelerated the already existing backlog of cases. In response, Arizona courts made efforts to remedy the backlog, including hosting virtual hearings. A year ago, the Arizona Administrative […]

By Emilio Giuliani III. As a young child in elementary school, only a few years ago, I remember when a teacher asked my class what kind of exciting marvels the future might bring. The predictions ranged from self-driving robot cars and ultra-intelligent computers to new armed conflict with Russia and the Minnesota Vikings winning their […]

By Dewey Warner. By a 5–4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order on February 7 granting an application for a stay in Merrill v. Milligan. The Alabama case is the first challenge to a congressional map to reach the Court during the latest round of redistricting following the 2020 census. The case is […]

By Savannah Wix. Drug and human trafficking across the Mexican border have long been major concerns for Arizonans. For instance, in December 2021, Scottsdale Police and the DEA seized $9 million worth of fentanyl pills and ten kilograms of powdered fentanyl, the trafficking of which was attributed to the notorious Mexican Sinaloa cartel. Although other […]