Arizona

33 Yrs of Rehnquist Papers Donated to Stanford

Papers covering the 33 years that the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist spent on the U.S. Supreme Court, including correspondence with fellow justices, have been donated to his alma mater. Rehnquist’s family released the papers to the Hoover Institution Archives at Stanford University the San Francisco Chronicle reports. In addition…

Oct 23, 2008 3:50 PM CDT

Ariz. Court Nixes $2.1M Sanctions Against Lawyer, Wife

An Arizona appeals court has overturned a lower court’s order that a Tuscon attorney and his wife turn $2.1 million over to the account of one of the attorney’s clients. Last May, the Pima County Public Fiduciary accused lawyer Jack Rappeport, 84, of diverting funds for personal use from a…

Oct 21, 2008 8:15 PM CDT

Snell & Wilmer Opens Office in Mexico

An Arizona-based law firm has opened its first foreign office in Mexico, becoming the first major United States firm to do so in the Baja California Sur state. Snell & Wilmer’s new office in San Jose del Cabo will focus on helping U.S. companies do business in Mexico, and and…

Oct 16, 2008 4:05 PM CDT

Despite S&L Debacle Decades Ago, Most Hard-Hit States Didn’t Amp Up Regulation

Despite the savings and loan meltdown that hit the country some 20 years ago, many states at the center of that maelstrom apparently didn’t learn the obvious lesson: Regulation is needed to keep dubious mortgage lending practices in check. Now, many of the same states that suffered the most from…

Oct 8, 2008 5:44 PM CDT

Kidnappings for Ransom, Both Real and Fake, Are Increasing

In a spillover of the criminal violence that is an increasing problem in Mexico, kidnappings for ransom—both real and “virtual”—are on the rise in Arizona. Often targeting immigrant families, those who pretend to be holding a beloved relative captive when in fact they are not apparently are purchasing names of…

Sep 24, 2008 6:30 PM CDT

Ariz. Lawyers Can Practice Across State Lines With Rule Change

A Phoenix lawyer has succeeded in his quest to get the Arizona Supreme Court to change a rule that had barred out-of-state lawyers from practicing in the state unless they take the state bar exam. The rule change (PDF) allows lawyers from other states to practice in Arizona if their…

Sep 19, 2008 12:52 PM CDT

Lawyer’s F-ing T-Shirt Not Grounds for Sanction, Hearing Officer Says

A hearing officer in Arizona is recommending dismissal of misconduct charges against a lawyer with an unusual communications style. Lawyer Jeffrey Mehrens showed up to interview two police officers in a vehicular manslaughter case against his client in a T-shirt sporting a slogan. It read, “Let the f—ing begin,” according…

Aug 20, 2008 5:26 PM CDT

Ken Starr’s $910 Hourly Fee Will be Paid, Ariz. Spokesman Says

The Arizona legislature is scrambling for a way to pay Kenneth Starr’s $910 an hour fee to defend the state’s spending on students who speak another language. Starr was hired to seek a U.S. Supreme Court appeal after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held the state’s funding formula…

Jul 21, 2008 3:23 PM CDT

En Banc 9th Circuit Strikes Girl’s Strip Search

A sharply divided 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has sided with a 13-year-old Arizona girl who was subjected to a strip search in which middle school officials tried in vain to find prescription-strength ibruprofen. The 6-5 ruling (PDF) on Friday holds that the strip search of Savana Redding wasn’t…

Jul 14, 2008 7:23 PM CDT

Golfing Lawyer Gets 30-Day License Suspension

An Arizona lawyer has been suspended for 30 days after a suspicious judge’s assistant learned he was out golfing the same afternoon he had told her he could not be in court because of a doctor’s appointment. A hearing officer’s report (PDF) said some of the facts of the case…

Jul 11, 2008 6:28 PM CDT

Breath Tests Axed in 49 Ariz. DUI Cases; Could Be Statewide Issue

A municipal judge in Tucson, Ariz., has excluded breath tests as evidence in 49 driving under the influence cases because the company that made the machine that conducted the alcohol-content examinations didn’t disclose the source code that controls its inner workings to the defense. The same issue could also potentially…

May 20, 2008 6:14 PM CDT

Texas Ranch Raid Sparks Senate Leader’s Call for Federal Task Force

Sparks flew in Arizona, Nevada and Utah last week after the Senate majority leader criticized prosecutors in those states for not being as aggressive as Texas authorities in pursuing claimed child abuse among a religious sect that reportedly advocates polygamy and “spiritual” marriages of underage teenage girls to much older…

May 5, 2008 11:04 PM CDT

Ariz. Justice Project Expands, Moves to Law School

The Arizona Justice Project, which for the last 10 years has worked on a shoestring to exonerate the wrongfully convicted, is getting a makeover and a new home thanks to a $150,000 grant from the state bar’s foundation. With the grant money, the Justice Project will move from the firm…

Apr 23, 2008 5:55 PM CDT

Online Posting of Accused Shoplifter Photos Stirs Debate

Civil liberties watchdogs are sounding alarms over a new law enforcement tactic in Arizona in which photographs of shoplifting suspects are posted online – even before a conviction. Avondale police are the latest to post, then publicize the mug shots of suspects online, the Arizona Republic reports. The idea is…

Apr 8, 2008 4:53 PM CDT

Ariz. Judge Faces Hearing on Financial Disclosure Charges

A rare hearing before the state’s Commission on Judicial Conduct is planned for an Arizona justice of the peace accused of failing to disclose all the real estate he owned, among other ethics charges. A commission investigative panel filed charges last month against Judge Carlos A. Mendoza. It contends that…

Mar 10, 2008 10:29 PM CDT