Court upholds ruling that town conspired with fundamentalist church
WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court upheld a lower court's finding that Colorado City, Arizona, had been run as an extension of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, violating non-members' rights in the process.
Protesters, proponents and the cultural clash over Phoenix police
PHOENIX – Police departments have looked to technology for solutions to criticisms, such as body-worn cameras to monitor police and public behavior and early-intervention software to sniff out bad behavior. Experiments with better community engagement, including civilian review boards with subpoena power, also are being considered or field-tested. Phoenix police plan to launch accountability procedures to document every time an officer draws a gun.
Brnovich makes long-shot pitch to Supreme Court to take opioid lawsuit
WASHINGTON - Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the Sackler family from "looting" Purdue Pharma of billions of dollars being sought by victims of the opioid crisis the company is accused of helping create.
Courts reject environmental lawsuit to block Navajo coal mine expansion
WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court said environmental groups cannot sue to block expansion of a coal mine owned by the Navajo Transitional Energy Co., because the company is an arm of the Navajo government and thus immune from civil suits.
Court upholds conviction in ‘cold-blooded’ murder of Phoenix family
WASHINGTON - A federal court rejected the appeal of an Arizona death-row inmate who murdered four Phoenix family members in their home in retribution for a petty theft by another of the family members, saying it presented "one of, if not the, strongest" cases for the death penalty it had seen in years.
Barr orders resumption of federal executions; Navajo among those targeted
WASHINGTON – Attorney General William Barr ordered a resumption of federal executions and named a Navajo double-murderer as one of the first five death-row inmates who will be put to death. Lezmond Mitchell is scheduled to be executed Dec. 11 with a fatal injection of pentobarbital.
Court vacates sentence for teen gang member given life without parole
WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court vacated the sentence for a Phoenix-area gang member who was still a teen when he got a mandatory life without parole sentence for crimes that "terrorized" the Salt River reservation in the 1990s.
Public speaks out after Starbucks barista asks Tempe officers to leave
PHOENIX – Six officers were asked to leave a Tempe Starbucks on the Fourth of July after a barista said their presence made a customer feel unsafe.
Advocates: High court’s ruling in death-row case could affect 19 others
WASHINGTON - There is no question that James McKinney murdered two people in botched Phoenix-area burglaries in 1991, buit should he be put to death for it? When the Supreme Court takes up that quesiton this fall, it could also be deciding the fate of 19 other Arizona death-row inmates.
Phoenix police roll out more body cameras; 950 officers now have them
PHOENIX – The Phoenix Police Department continued its rollout of body-worn cameras, issuing the devices to about a dozen officers Wednesday in the Cactus Park Precinct in north Phoenix.
Phoenix to look into new system to track, measure police conduct
PHOENIX – Phoenix will take steps to collect and analyze data on police performance, the City Council decided Tuesday. It also is considering a poll to measure community attitudes toward police and a civilian oversight board.
Law firm releases details on 109 Catholic clergy accused of sexual abuse in Phoenix
PHOENIX – A report including details and photos of 109 Catholic clergy members was released by a Minnesota-based law firm on Wednesday. The report includes information that predates the founding of the Diocese of Phoenix in 1969.
