A federal appeals court is considering a request by the self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff in America" to reverse a lower-court decision barring his deputies from detaining people based solely on the suspicion that they're illegal immigrants.

The Hispanics with the highest profiles in this year's political conventions, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Mayor Julian Castro of San Antonio, stand as opposites in a cultural and political split that has divided millions of U.S. Latinos for decades.

Aides to former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords are launching a political action committee that will let her stay involved in politics.

Back-to-back court hearings are scheduled Thursday on dueling lawsuits over whether Arizona voters will decide the fate of an initiative proposal to dramatically change how the state conducts primary elections.

An informal adviser to Republican Mitt Romney is representing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees suing the Obama administration over its plan to stop deporting many young illegal immigrants and grant them work permits.

With life behind bars now a certainty for Jared Lee Loughner, federal prison officials will have to determine just where to put him.

A state Game and Fish commissioner says he was surprised to receive a citation after he reported the shooting of a prairie dog out of season.

Arizona officials used a bingo-style machine with sets of numbered air-blown balls Tuesday as they picked winners from among more than 400 applicants for certificates to run 97 medical marijuana dispensaries around the state.

For the legal team defending the suspect in a deadly Tucson mass shooting, reaching a plea deal was just one step. Convincing a judge that Jared Lee Loughner is competent enough to enter a plea depends on how he behaves in court Tuesday.

A three-judge federal court panel has scheduled an Oct. 31 hearing in Phoenix on a lawsuit challenging Arizona's new map of legislative districts.