Arizona

County settles suit over prosecution of police officer whose dog died in patrol vehicle

Arrested by a well-known Arizona sheriff, charged with animal abuse and acquitted in a bench trial after leaving his canine partner unattended in his patrol vehicle for several hours in 2008, a Chandler police officer has now settled his malicious prosecution case against Maricopa County. Without admitting liability, the county…

Jan 15, 2014 5:10 PM CST

Divorce lawyer convicted in slaying of his stepdaughter’s husband

A California divorce lawyer has been convicted in Arizona of second-degree murder in the slaying of his stepdaughter’s husband three years ago. Attorney Robert Douglas Fischer was accused of shooting to death Norman “Lee” Radder in his Queen Creek, Ariz., home, then staging the scene as a suicide and calling…

Jan 2, 2014 7:15 PM CST

$129M law school at ASU’s ‘wildly successful’ Phoenix campus to include biggest US nonprofit firm

Corrected: Plans for a new $129 million law school complex to be constructed by Arizona State University on a city block in downtown Phoenix include not only the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, which presently operates in Tempe, but a public law library, a civic center and what is…

Dec 5, 2013 6:30 PM CST

Severed finger left at scene of alleged copper caper leads to suspect’s arrest

An Arizona man has been charged with misdemeanor theft based on evidence left at the alleged crime scene: a severed finger. Joshua Allen Goverman, 29, of Glendale was arrested after police retrieved the finger near a spool of copper cable that had apparently been pulled off a truck, report the…

Oct 31, 2013 1:40 PM CDT

$7.3M fee request in racial-profiling suit is ‘outrageous,’ Maricopa County Sheriff’s office says

The Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff’s Office is fighting an adverse decision in a racial-profiling suit, as well as the fees sought by the winning plaintiffs’ lawyers The office is appealing the ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Murray Snow, which found that Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s office violated the constitutional rights…

Oct 25, 2013 2:47 PM CDT

Inmate married defense lawyer for help with criminal deeds, authorities say; both are now charged

A longtime Arizona criminal defense lawyer is now herself facing criminal charges after investigators say she was sucked into a client’s illegal schemes. Carmen Lynn Fischer Garcia, who has practiced in Phoenix since the 1980s, is among four defendants, including her husband, facing dozens of criminal charges concerning alleged prison…

Oct 9, 2013 10:20 PM CDT

Anti-begging law in Arizona knocked down by federal judge

A federal judge in Arizona has overturned the state’s 25-year-old statute for bringing a charge of loitering if “in a public place to beg.” The ruling (PDF) concerned the city of Flagstaff’s five-year-old policy seeking to clear panhandlers out of certain downtown areas by arresting them on suspicion of loitering…

Oct 7, 2013 9:58 PM CDT

Ariz. prosecutor accused of misconduct in capital murder case

An Arizona prosecutor has been accused of misconduct in his handling of a capital murder case. Chief Deputy Pinal County Attorney Richard Wintory allegedly had inappropriate contact with a member of the defense team and then tried to cover up the extent of that contact to the court and his…

Oct 4, 2013 5:30 PM CDT

First openly gay federal appeals judge confirmed; Obama names 3 nominees for district, circuit bench

September has been a noteworthy month as far as the federal judiciary is concerned. The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Tuesday, in a 98-0 vote, former Department of Justice lawyer Todd Hughes for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He is the highest-ranking openly gay…

Sep 24, 2013 9:55 PM CDT

Arizona Supreme Court voids law giving governor more choices in judicial selection

The Arizona Supreme Court has struck down a new law designed to give the governor a greater say in the selection of judges. The court, in a unanimous ruling Friday, said the law, which directs a judicial nominating commission to submit at least five nominees to the governor for each…

Sep 13, 2013 9:59 PM CDT

Woman released on bond after 23 years on death row for son’s murder

An Arizona woman imprisoned for her son’s murder has been freed on bond after 23 years on death row. Debra Milke, 49, was released Friday after a judge ruled there was no direct evidence tying her to the 1989 murder of her 4-year-old son, Christopher, the Associated Press reports. Milke’s…

Sep 9, 2013 11:00 PM CDT

19 ‘right to dry’ states outlaw clothesline bans; is yours among them?

Once upon a time, a clothesline was a standard feature of most back yards. But concern that publicly airing clean laundry attached with clothespins to a rope or wire was unsightly, or obstructed views, or even created a safety risk (strangulation is sometimes cited) led a number of condominium associations…

Aug 14, 2013 8:24 PM CDT

Sen. John McCain winds up in murder trial jury pool, is released by judge

Sen. John McCain was ready to do his civic duty. But after the Arizona Republican wound up in a pool of about 80 potential jurors in a Maricopa County murder case, the judge released him, the Associated Press reports. Judge Joseph Kreamer explained to other members of the pool on…

Aug 12, 2013 10:20 PM CDT

Law firm files racketeering suit over legal consultant’s claimed ‘bogus Internet marketing program’

Updated: A Michigan law firm has filed a federal civil racketeering lawsuit against a legal consultant that allegedly sold a “bogus Internet marketing program” to multiple small practitioners, sparking Web comment and criticism of all parties involved in the case. The plaintiff firm, Seikaly & Stewart, says that The Rainmaker…

Aug 6, 2013 5:55 PM CDT

Decades after ex-attorney killed 2 lawyers, shot judges in Texas courtroom, fatal conflicts continue

A fatal attack in a Texas appellate courtroom almost exactly 21 years ago is remembered as a milestone in Tarrant County history that led to a new focus on keeping lawyers, judges and litigants safe. Yet such conflicts continue today, there and elsewhere, despite the increased awareness and new security…

Jul 11, 2013 4:40 PM CDT