Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

Two lawmakers, along with several conservative groups, filed a motion Sept. 22 to intervene as defendants in a federal lawsuit that was filed to challenge a new state law to restrict abortions. Sen. Linda Gray, a Republican from Glendale and Rep. Nancy Barto, a Republican from Phoenix, argued that they have a right to intervene because the lawsuit could invalidate their votes.

A day after being repeatedly told by a judge to avoid long-winded answers and focus his responses to address only the question asked, Rep. Doug Quelland frustrated the court by feigning ignorance when asked basic questions. Of course, that was only when he was being cross-examined by the attorney for the Citizens Clean Elections Commission.

Looking for supporters of term limits? Good luck finding any at the Capitol. Many who actively worked to change the state's Constitution nearly two decades ago say the rules harm the political process and need to be scrapped.

It didn't take long for "Hillary: The Movie" to turn into Citizens United v. the Federal Elections Commission, and now Arizona's Capitol insiders are waiting to see how the U.S. Supreme Court will deal with a longstanding roadblock designed to limit the political activity of corporations and unions.

A federal appeals court ruled Sept. 14 that a proposed land exchange between the federal Bureau of Land Management and copper miner Asarco LLC violates environmental laws. The ruling in the lawsuit filed by three environmental groups in 2001 overturns a lower court decision backing the exchange long sought by Asarco.

Dennis Burke, Janet Napolitano's former chief of staff, was confirmed by the full U.S. Senate as Arizona's next U.S. attorney.

Lawsuits were filed on Sept. 14 at state and federal levels against Arizona to block the enforcement of a new state law that would require women seeking abortions to make two separate trips to a physician's office before obtaining the procedure.

For the time being, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors can continue to hire attorneys outside the County Attorney's Office to handle the board's legal issues.

Retired Supreme Court Justice and Arizona icon Sandra Day O'Connor is spearheading an effort to make major structural changes to state government in advance of the 2012 centennial. "We love this state and see the need for a few changes," she said.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has approved Dennis Burke as the next U.S. attorney for Arizona. Burke, who served as chief of staff for former Gov. Janet Napolitano, was one of four U.S. attorney nominees to be approved by the committee on Sept. 10, according to media reports. His nomination still must be approved by the full Senate before he takes his post.