Arizona State Law Journal Blog

By Julianne Baggett. On October 18, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two per curiam opinions extending qualified immunity protections to law enforcement officers accused of using excessive force—one case coming from the Ninth Circuit and the other from the…

By Nick Hodder. The United States Supreme Court recently agreed to take a closer look at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA”) statutory authority. Specifically, the Court agreed to hear four cases challenging the agency’s power to limit CO2 emissions from…

By Matt Lutz. As of September 29, Arizona allows community colleges to offer four-year degrees. Senate Bill 1453 (SB 1453), which was signed into law by Governor Ducey on May 4, 2021, was intended to expand access to higher education…

By Claire Newfeld. Coined by renowned lawyer and civil rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw, critical race theory is a body of scholarship and an academic movement anchored in the premise that the social construction of race, along with racial bias, permeate…

By Avery Cartwright. Did you know that you can now buy stock shares in Bitcoin on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), simply by using any stock brokerage app? Last week, ProShares launched an exchange-traded fund linked to Bitcoin futures.…

By Benjamin A. Longbottom. Introduction Western water insecurity. Ninety percent of the Western United States is experiencing severe drought. Lake Mead is at its lowest level since the Hoover Dam was built in the 1930s. The recent declaration of a…

By Chloe Plaisance. Introduction In November of 2020, Arizona voters passed Proposition 207, also known as the Smart and Safe Arizona Act (the “Act”), which legalized adult-use marijuana for individuals 21 and older. Proposition 207 defines the terms of legal…

By Abigail Knox. On October 13, a Ninth Circuit judge approved a settlement agreement that holds the Forest Service accountable for protecting Arizona’s watersheds and the endangered species that live there from the damage of domestic livestock grazing. For environmentalists,…

By Zach Levy. Introduction             COVID-19 vaccines have been widely available for almost a year. On August 23, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first COVID-19 vaccine for individuals of 16 years of age and…

By Gordon Siu.             In recognition of their sacrifices, the United States provides monthly compensation to veterans who incur a disability connected to their active-duty military service during a congressionally defined period of war. These benefits are managed by the…