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Ducey orders agency to allow gays to foster, adopt children
Gov. Doug Ducey ordered the Department of Child Safety to allow married same-sex couples to jointly house foster children and adopt. Ducey ordered the policy change in response to an Arizona Capitol Times report that DCS had quietly reversed a policy that had allowed married same-sex couples to jointly adopt or provide foster care.
ACLU becomes involved in gay adoptions dispute
The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona said Thursday it will sue Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery unless he changes course and begins to provide gay couples with mandated adoption services.
A civil liberties agenda for our new governor
On election night, just after being named the winner of Arizona’s hotly contested race for governor, Doug Ducey promised to “make Arizona a place of opportunity for all.” He reiterated that promise during his Jan. 5 inaugural address, saying every Arizonan must be “given a fair chance and even a second chance, no one forgotten, no one written off.”
Only 21 Arizona voters used new two-tier system
Fears that thousands of voters would be denied the right to vote for state officials this year were proven wrong in the state's first use of a two-tier voting system.
Order of monitor for sheriff’s department draws criticism
After a federal judge ordered that a monitor guard against racial profiling by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Denise Velez showed up with a handful of demonstrators Thursday to fill out a tongue-in-cheek application to “babysit” Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Inmate advocates question claim that Arizona prisons have no solitary confinement
Raising doubts from skeptics, Department of Corrections Director Charles Ryan told a legislative committee Wednesday the department has no solitary confinement, despite keeping the maximum-security inmates in their cells alone for 22 hours a day.
Divided House overhauls religious freedom bill
The Arizona House of Representatives moved Thursday to temper a divisive bill that sought to wildly expand religious freedom protections and had drawn opposition from civil liberties groups and Democratic lawmakers.
ACLU chimes in on Phoenix gun advertisement case
Unlikely allies are teaming up to fight the city of Phoenix's 2010 decision to remove 50 pro-gun advertisements from city bus shelters.
‘English only’ measure could cost the state federal money
A state lawmaker’s plan to save the state money by sending government materials only in English may run afoul of the Civil Rights Act and federal guidelines, and could cost state agencies billions per year in federal dollars.
Groups object to housing immigration detainees in Pinal County jail
The first stop for all Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees is just down the road from here at the Florence Detention Center, which has a new soccer field, offers buffet-style dining and allows face-to-face visits with family, friends and lawyers.
Past cases cited by both sides in immigration lawsuits
Federal courts have rejected immigration laws in other states that aimed for results similar to those prescribed by Arizona’s S1070, but supporters of the Arizona law say they learned a lesson from those court cases and made sure to avoid repeating past mistakes.
