Gov. Katie Hobbs speaking with attendees at the 2026 Legislative Forecast Luncheon hosted by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Jan. 9, 2026. (Photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0)
Hobbs lifts bill-signing moratorium after a week of budget negotiations with Republicans
Arizona’s Democratic governor lifted her month-long bill-signing moratorium on Thursday.
Gov. Katie Hobbs implemented the moratorium April 13, promising not to sign any bills until the Republicans who control the Arizona legislature revealed their budget and...
David Marshall in January 2025. (Photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0)
Kris Mayes moves to remove David Marshall as Navajo County recorder
Attorney General Kris Mayes is asking the courts to remove Navajo County Recorder David Marshall, alleging that his appointment to the post last month blatantly violates the Arizona Constitution.
In a rare legal filing known as a quo warranto — Latin for “by what authority” and designed to prevent the unlawful usurpation of office — Mayes says that, because Marshall was elected to the state legislature in 2024 and...
Afternoon light shines on the sign for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service Processing Center in El Centro, Calif., on May 27, 2022. (Stock photo by Matt Gush/Getty Images)
Medical examiner: Arizona ICE detainee’s untreated tooth infection killed him
Emmanuel Damas, a 56-year-old Haitian asylum seeker being held in an immigration detention facility in Arizona, died from severe throat and chest infections that developed from an untreated tooth infection.
The preliminary report published by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that Damas’ death was caused by complications from “necrotizing mediastinitis with neck and retropharyngeal abscess...
(Photo via Getty Images)
Judge rules law stripping Scottsdale vote on Axon HQ is constitutional
A state law barring Scottsdale residents from voting to stop law enforcement technology company Axon’s planned massive headquarters and housing project doesn’t violate the state constitution’s ban on “special legislation,” a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled.
The law says that any city with between...
Democratic candidates for superintendent of public instruction Brett Newby and Teresa Leyba Ruiz debated on May 13, 2026. (Screenshot via Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission)
Democratic school chief candidates debated voucher fraud, teacher shortage and Horne hotline
The two candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to be Arizona’s public schools chief focused on voucher accountability, funding and teacher retention during a Wednesday evening debate.
Teresa Leyba Ruiz, a longtime teacher and former president of Glendale Community College, shared the stage with Brett Newby, a behavior analyst who works with children who have autism...
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that telehealth access to abortion medication can continue according to current rules from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
US Supreme Court rules telehealth abortion can resume while lawsuit continues
The U.S. Supreme Court decided Thursday to preserve telehealth access to the abortion drug mifepristone until after the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled on the merits of the high-stakes federal lawsuit Louisiana v. Food and Drug Administration.
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas...
U.S. Sen. John Kennedy speaks to reporters during a vote at the U.S. Capitol on April 13, 2026. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
Senators voted themselves a pay cut during shutdowns. The House isn’t on board.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate approved a resolution Thursday that will prevent lawmakers in that chamber from receiving their paychecks during any government shutdowns that begin after this year’s midterm elections.
The voice vote on the measure from Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy will not...
Tennessee Republican leaders unveil their “Immigration 2026” agenda at a news conference in January. Tennessee and other conservative states are mandating that state and local social service providers verify and report the immigration status of the people they serve — in some cases threatening stiff penalties for public employees who fail to comply. (Photo by John Partipilo/ Tennessee Lookout)
Red states press social service workers into immigration enforcement
An increasing number of conservative states are mandating that state and local social service providers verify and report the immigration status of the people they serve — in some cases threatening stiff penalties for public employees who fail to comply.
Under federal law, immigrants who are in the United States illegally are generally barred from...
Construction workers build a 575-unit apartment complex combined with retail in Paramus, N.J. The state lags in providing housing for new residents, according to a Stateline analysis. (Photo by Tim Henderson/Stateline)
New construction reduces housing shortage in most states
Housing shortages have eased in most states since 2020, as new construction has made apartments and houses more affordable.
Connecticut, New Jersey and Rhode Island are the only states that have lost housing units per capita since...
ICYMI
Thanks for reading AZ Report. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.