The Supreme Court ruled Monday against an Arizona ballot measure requiring new voters to present proof of citizenship before being added to the voting rolls — but the justices dodged the question of whether states could ever impose such a requirement without federal approval.
The justices ruled, 7-2, that Arizona’s effort to establish proof-of-citizenship requirements for new voters ran afoul of the so-called “motor voter” law Congress passed in 1993. That law, the National Voter Registration Act, allows for mail-in voter registration on a federal form that allows applicants simply to swear that they are U.S. citizens eligible to vote.
Arizona voters created the proof-of-citizenship requirement as part of Proposition 200, a ballot measure passed in 2004, 56 percent to 44 percent.
It’s important to note that this isn’t necessarily the end of discussion on the matter, as today’s Supreme Court ruling essentially offers Arizona another route through which the state could attempt to implement the new regulation. Still, future passage seems unlikely given that the state of Arizona would need approval from the federal government to implement the proof-of-citizenship requirement.
Ours is an operation, whether it’s the state law or the federal, to go after illegals, not the crime first, that they happen to be illegals. My program, my philosophy is a pure program. You go after illegals. I’m not afraid to say that. And you go after them and you lock them up.Maricopa County, Az. Sheriff Joe Arpaio • As quoted in a federal court decision which ruled that the sheriff’s department illegally targeted Latinos in its immigration patrols. The accusations against Arpaio and his police department include accusations that officers pulled over residents for the purposes of checking their immigration status, along with a repudiation of the aggressive detentions people pulled over by police officers face. The quote above was used as evidence of improper conduct by the department. Arpaio denies the charges and his lawyer argues that the department received poor training from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
It’s about home protection. If you are a single mom or dad and can’t afford a shotgun, we’ll give one to you.Tucson resident Shaun McClusky • Discussing his work with the Armed Citizen Project, a program whose goal is to hand out guns to people in working-class neighborhoods in cities around the country, including Tucson, which had a major shooting just two years ago. (Yes, they do background checks before handing them out.) The approach, understandably, has drawn controversy, along with a response from a local activist in Tucson, who launched a competing endeavor called the School Supply Giveaway campaign.
Yikes. Someone sent Sheriff Joe Arpaio a bomb, but it was intercepted before it reached his offices and destroyed. Arpaio, 80, is a controversial figure for his stance on immigration and his treatment of prisoners. (photo by Darryl Webb/Reuters)
Snow-covered cacti: Golf championship stopped due to freak Arizona winter storm
(Photo: Ross D. Franklin / AP)
Tournament volunteers walk along the golf course after a snow storm suspended play for the day during the Match Play Championship golf tournament, on Feb. 20, in Marana, Ariz. Play was suspended for the day.
“Snow-covered cacti” is a great name for a one-hit-wonder indie band’s second album.
At least three people were shot and wounded when gunfire erupted at a business complex in Phoenix on Wednesday, and authorities were combing the area for the suspected gunman, police said on Wednesday.
Phoenix Police spokesman James Holmes said the people who were shot were taken from the scene to a local hospital, and there was no immediate word on their condition.
While police continue to look for the suspect, law enforcement officials have confirmed that there were no deaths as a result of today’s shooting. The timing of today’s attack will likely be dissected at great length in the days ahead, with the shooting occurring at roughly the same time that former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords testified before the Senate on gun violence.
Update: There are now 5 confirmed injuries from the attack, three of which were life-threatening for the victims, though none of the victims have died at this time.
If you voted for Barack Obama your business is not welcome at Southwest Shooting Authority. You have proven that you are not responsible enough to own a firearm.An ad taken out by the Southwest Shooting Authority in Pinetop, Arizona • Finally drawing, from the pro-gun side, a clear line on when you’re not responsible enough to wield your 2nd Amendment rights — the moment you voted for Barack Obama. The store’s owner, Cope Reynolds, realizes it’s an easy rule to duck (just don’t mention Obama) but he’ll stand his ground if anybody comes clean: “…if they own up to it, we will not serve them. This goes way beyond gun control, which many think is why we did this. I should have as much right to post a sign on my door as those that post ‘No Guns’ on their doors. source
You tried to create for all of us a world as dark and evil as your own. But know this, and remember it always: You failed.Gabby Giffords’ husband, Mark Kelly, to Jared Loughner. The 24-year-old Loughner has been given 7 life sentences and 140 years in prison for killing 6 and injuring 13 in a shooting rampage last year. Giffords was shot in the head but survived; Loughner pled guilty three months ago to 19 federal charges and has no possibility of parole. source
Callin’ it early: Phoenix’s CBS News affiliate KPHO accidentally called the 2012 Presidential Election in-favor of President Barack Obama for approximately seventeen seconds during a broadcast of ‘The People’s Court’ last Friday. Coincidentally, they gave the President the exact same lead that Mitt Romney is currently enjoying in the polls. What you may not have noticed, at first, is that they only alocated 83 percent of the vote between the two candidates. Does handing 17 percent of the electorate to third party candidates seem a bit ambitious to anybody else? source
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When local activist groups challenged Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton to live on a food stamp budget for a week to mark Hunger Awareness Month, he took them up on the offer and found out just how hard it was. Stanton kept a diary on the challenge, which allotted him roughly $29 a week, the same amount 1.1 million Arizonans receive from the Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program (SNAP) each week.
It’s always worthwhile to, as the old saying goes, “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.”
We don’t speak for all of the victims or their families, but Gabby and I are satisfied with this plea agreement….Avoiding a trial will allow us — and we hope the whole Southern Arizona community — to continue with our recovery and move forward with our lives.Astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords • Confirming that his family supports the plea deal between Jared Lee Loughner and prosecutors that will reportedly see the alleged spend life in prison, but avoid any chance of receiving the death penalty. Loughner was declared mentally fit to stand trial in a hearing on Tuesday, after which he pleaded guilty. source (via • follow)
This guy right here? He’s 96 years old and a U.S. citizen. Recently, he was detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents because radiation from a recent medical procedure set off an alarm. He was forced to exit his vehicle in 100 degree heat as he was detained by agents. Oh yeah, one more detail: This guy, named Raúl Héctor Castro, is Arizona’s former governor, and this is the third time this has happened to him.
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