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Recent Articles from Christian Palmer
Republicans file 2 lawsuits challenging redistricting maps
Republican critics of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission will file two lawsuits that seek to force the redrawing of the commission’s approved legislative and congressional districts.
Who will replace Giffords?
I’m going to go out on a limb here, but I do not think Democrat Rob Barber is unbeatable in the CD8 special election to select a replacement for Gabrielle Giffords.
Brewer backs away from Congressional invite
Despite her willingness to confront the president of the United States on a tarmac in front of the nation, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer doesn’t have it in her to confront Congress on SB1070, the issue that made her a national Republican hero and propelled her to a full term in office.
What next after Giffords resignation?
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords on Sunday put what was perhaps the largest looming question in Arizona politics to rest with her announcement that she will resign from office in order to continue her recovery from an injury severe enough to make her survival alone seem like a miracle.
‘Puppet’ Cortes, shadowy campaign helpers unlikely to face punishment
Recall candidate Olivia Cortes’ campaign may have been contrived, phony, aided by illegal means and designed to fool the public, but that doesn’t mean that she or the perpetrators of the backfired plot to help former Senate President Russell Pearce will face any punishment.
Judge: IRC can’t be investigated for open meeting law violations
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has dealt the Independent Redistricting Commission a sweeping victory by declaring that the agency is not bound by state open meeting laws or subject to investigations into the contested hiring of a mapping consultant.
Supreme Court hears arguments on Tucson election law
In a rare personal appearance before the Arizona Supreme Court, Attorney General Tom Horne today argued that a 2009 law aimed at revamping the way Tucson elects city officials is of statewide importance because the city’s current system upsets an otherwise fair and even application of municipal elections in the state.
Fractured IRC gets back to work
After winning an Arizona Supreme Court battle against a Republican governor and Senate that ordered her removal, reinstated Independent Redistricting Commission Chairwoman Colleen Mathis is facing the immediate challenge of leading a commission that has fractured down party lines.
Lawyer who exposed Cortes strives for ‘purity in the process’
By his own account, attorney Thomas Ryan spent more than 200 hours of his time preparing and litigating a lawsuit to thwart recall candidate Olivia Cortes, whose bogus candidacy was launched with the sole intention of ruining the chances of a challenger who Ryan had never met.
‘Baggage’ in hand, former IRC attorney takes on commission
Seven months ago, attorney Lisa Hauser was trying to land a job serving as the redistricting commission's Republican attorney, just as she did a decade ago.
But by the time Senate Republicans ratified Brewer’s decision to remove the commission's chair for what the governor described as “gross misconduct in office,” Hauser had taken on a new redistricting client — Brewer, who wil[...]
Twists and turns in redistricting process
If could get any crazier, I’d like to see it. Arizona’s decennial “independent” redistricting process has been nothing short of spectacular for journalists. The intrigue, outrage and paranoia took hold quickly and the twists and turns have continued without stop.
Horne disqualified from investigating IRC
Attorney General Tom Horne will no longer be able to pursue an open meeting law investigation into members of the Independent Redistricting Commission, as a Maricopa County Superior Court judge has ruled the attorney general is saddled with an existing conflict of interest.
