Arizona
Right to Life says AZ Supreme Court should block abortion rights initiative from the ballot
An anti-abortion group is hoping the Arizona Supreme Court will step in and block voters in November from deciding whether to amend the state constitution to include a right to abortion.
Arizona Right to Life failed to convince a trial court judge that the campaign for the Arizona Abortion Access Act misled voters who signed their petition to make it on the ballot. After their lawsuit was dismissed on Aug. 6, the group immediately appealed the decision to the high court, asking the justices to overturn the trial judge’s decision and block the measure from being put to voters.
In both the initial lawsuit and the appeal, attorneys for Arizona Right to Life claim that the 200-word summary shown to Arizonans who signed petition sheets to help the act qualify for the ballot was so unlawfully misleading that it puts all of the signatures into question.
The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office confirmed Monday that the Abortion Access Act had collected enough voter signatures to make it on the ballot. The campaign behind the act, Arizona for Abortion Access, gathered a total of more than 820,000 signatures, and approximately 578,000 were confirmed to be valid, significantly more than the nearly 384,000 it needed to qualify.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
If voters favor the Abortion Access Act, it would guarantee a woman’s right to an abortion up to the point of fetal viability, around 24 weeks of pregnancy. Exceptions to that limit would be allowed if a health care provider determined it was necessary to preserve a patient’s life, physical or mental health.
Jennifer Wright, an attorney for Arizona Right to Life, wrote in the appeal that the summary shown to those who signed the petition was misleading because it contained the phrase “health care provider” while the full text of the act refers to the “treating health care provider” when describing who has the authority to determine that an abortion is necessary beyond fetal viability.
Wright is a former assistant Arizona attorney general who is representing Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Kari Lake in a defamation suit filed against her by Republican Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer. She also recently began representing Lake in her suit to overturn the results of the 2022 gubernatorial race that she lost to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Attorneys for the anti-abortion organization claimed that omitting the word “treating” in the summary misled those who signed the Abortion Access petition into thinking that someone other than an abortion provider would decide whether an abortion past the point of fetal viability was warranted. But trial court Judge Melissa Iyer Julian disagreed.
“Reasonable people understand that medical diagnoses and treatment plans are typically determined by the medical provider who is actively treating a patient whose health is at issue,” Julian wrote. “For pregnant patients, this could include the patient’s primary care, obstetrical, or other medical providers, including one who provides abortions.”
Wright went on to argue that the exception for the mental or physical health of the mother would essentially give a green flag to any abortion, up until birth — an inflammatory and inaccurate claim frequently advanced by abortion foes.
Wright argued that the summary should include a description of how the Abortion Access Act would impact existing abortion legislation, but Julian disagreed on that point, as well.
“Concern about the impact this initiative may have on existing abortion regulations is not a ground to compel the initiative’s removal from the ballot. ‘The proper place to argue about the potential impact of an initiative is in the political arena, in speeches, newspaper articles, advertisements and other forums,’” Julian wrote, referencing previous rulings.
At present, Arizona is under a 15-week gestational ban that will likely be nullified if the act is passed.
The proposed constitutional amendment also includes a provision stating that “no law, regulation, policy or practice shall be enacted or enforced” that restricts, denies or interferes with the right to receive an abortion either before or after fetal viability.
Arizona Right to Life claims that this provision, which says that any restrictions put on the procedure should “not infringe on that person’s autonomous decision-making,” essentially bans all regulations on the procedure, including that it be performed by a licensed medical professional.
“For example, if a woman wants an unlicensed abortion provider to perform an abortion, even someone without medical training, her desire for autonomous decision-making would appear to trump any state interest,” Wright wrote.
The group also alleged that it would allow abortions to be performed for egregious reasons.
“At a minimum, this means the State can do nothing to stop the abortion, even if it is being done for the worst eugenic or racist reasons, is being done in a horrific manner that is particularly painful to the prenatal human or is being done at any time up to birth,” Wright wrote.
Arizona Right to Life was one of several organizations behind the “Decline to Sign” campaign that unsuccessfully sought to persuade voters not to support the Abortion Access Act’s effort to qualify for the November election.
Dawn Penich, a spokeswoman for the abortion rights initiative’s campaign, told the Arizona Mirror that no one was available Tuesday to comment on the appeal to the Supreme Court.
But Penich previously criticized Arizona Right to Life for continuing to pursue arguments already rejected by the trial court.
“This appeal shows yet again that they are willing to do and say anything — no matter how desperate or dishonest — to deprive Arizonans of their right to direct democracy,” she said in an emailed statement after the anti-abortion group said it would appeal the trial court ruling. “We’re hopeful the Arizona Supreme Court will grant us a fair and unbiased review and allow Arizona voters to have their say at the ballot box. Arizona for Abortion Access remains committed to giving Arizona voters the chance to restore and protect our right to access abortion free from government overreach, once and for all.”
Arizona Supreme Court Justice Bill Montgomery, who once accused Planned Parenthood of committing genocide, said he wouldn’t recuse himself from a previous case to decide whether “unborn human being” could be used to describe the abortion rights initiative in an election information pamphlet sent to every voter in the state.
Arizona for Abortion Access has argued that, because of his opposition to Planned Parenthood and history of using anti-abortion language, he cannot be impartial in rulings regarding the abortion rights measure.
Montgomery adamantly disagreed, saying that his strong feelings regarding abortion don’t make him biased.
Odds of winning the Powerball and Mega Millions are NOT in your favor
Odds of hitting the jackpot in Mega Millions or Powerball are around 1-in-292 million. Here are things that you’re more likely to land than big bucks.
The Arizona Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Friday, May 29, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers
19-24-47-59-65, Mega Ball: 07
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers
2-7-1
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Fantasy 5 numbers
02-08-31-32-40
Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Triple Twist numbers
09-20-23-31-36-40
Check Triple Twist payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news and results
What time is the Powerball drawing?
Powerball drawings are at 7:59 p.m. Arizona time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
How much is a Powerball lottery ticket today?
In Arizona, Powerball tickets cost $2 per game, according to the Arizona Lottery.
How to play the Powerball
To play, select five numbers from 1 to 69 for the white balls, then select one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball.
You can choose your lucky numbers on a play slip or let the lottery terminal randomly pick your numbers.
To win, match one of the 9 Ways to Win:
- 5 white balls + 1 red Powerball = Grand prize.
- 5 white balls = $1 million.
- 4 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $50,000.
- 4 white balls = $100.
- 3 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $100.
- 3 white balls = $7.
- 2 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $7.
- 1 white ball + 1 red Powerball = $4.
- 1 red Powerball = $4.
There’s a chance to have your winnings increased two, three, four, five and 10 times through the Power Play for an additional $1 per play. Players can multiply non-jackpot wins up to 10 times when the jackpot is $150 million or less.
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Arizona Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $100 and may redeem winnings up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Arizona Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to P.O. Box 2913, Phoenix, AZ 85062.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID to any of these locations:
Phoenix Arizona Lottery Office: 4740 E. University Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4400. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Tucson Arizona Lottery Office: 2955 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85716, 520-628-5107. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Phoenix Sky Harbor Lottery Office: Terminal 4 Baggage Claim, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4424. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.
Kingman Arizona Lottery Office: Inside Walmart, 3396 Stockton Hill Road, Kingman, AZ 86409, 928-753-8808. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://www.arizonalottery.com/.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arizona Republic editor. You can send feedback using this form.
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The two Republicans running for Arizona attorney general faced each other Thursday in a debate that devolved into insults and name-calling.
State Senate President Warren Petersen is running against military attorney Rodney Glassman in the Republican primary. The debate turned chaotic as the candidates clashed.
“Are you asking the questions, Steve?” Petersen said.
The moderator attempted to regain control. “Gentlemen, we’re going to reset,” he said.
Candidates clash over experience
The debate was the last before early voting begins next month. In between the name-calling, the two candidates argued over their resumes.
Glassman said Petersen does not have the legal experience for the job.
“Warren is just full of information, you can call them lies. He received his law license in December 2023, 28 months ago. He has never filed a lawsuit as a lawyer. He has never prosecuted a criminal as a lawyer,” Glassman said.
Petersen has had a law license for less than three years. He said he worked on cases in Scottsdale while earning his degree. Petersen said his experience as the current state Senate president also counts.
“I have done more in three years than Rodney Glassman will even get done in his life because he’s a trust fund baby who’s just looking for a place. He’s been running for 15 years and he’s lost six elections in a row,” Petersen said.
History of campaigns
Glassman has not won an elected office since he served as a Democrat on the Tucson City Council in 2007. Glassman is an Air Force attorney with 17 years of experience.
Democratic strategist Matt Grodsky said the real winner was the incumbent, Kris Mayes.
“I thought it was entertaining television. I’m glad Arizona got to see up close why these two individuals should be nowhere near the AG’s office,” Grodsky said.
Voting in the primary begins June 24.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2026 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
The Arizona man known as the “QAnon Shaman” said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s new Anti-Weaponization Fund is an abuse of power by a would-be “king.”
Jacob Angeli-Chansley – the face of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot with his red, white and blue face paint and horned fur headdress – denounced the $1.776 billion program as a “slush fund” for Trump to reward his loyalists.
The Justice Department announced the fund on Monday as part of a settlement with Trump, who had sued the IRS for $10 billion over the leak of his tax returns. The settlement included an assurance that the IRS will drop all audits and claims for back taxes against Trump, his family and businesses.
“You think I’m gonna take a f—ing dime from Trump and the government after he’s using this thing to cover him and his family in perpetuity for all of their crimes?” he told Cronkite News by phone. “You think I’m gonna take a dime of that blood money?”
Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people who participated in the Jan. 6 riot the day he returned to the White House in January 2025. Many had been convicted of assaulting police officers.
Cronkite News reached out to 17 of those defendants with Arizona ties. None besides Angeli-Chansley responded.
Thirteen were convicted or pleaded guilty to crimes related to the attack. Four of the cases were dismissed after the pardon. The charges included assault on federal agents, physical violence at the Capitol and seditious conspiracy.
See our previous coverage of the Anti-Weaponization Fund and “QAnon Shaman” in the video player above.
Angeli-Chansley pleaded guilty to a charge of obstruction of an official proceeding. He served 27 months of a 41-month sentence. He was released from federal prison in March 2023.
During the riot, he carried an American flag fastened to a spear and used a bullhorn to call other rioters to the dais in the Senate chamber.
“He stated that ‘Mike Pence is a f—-ing traitor’ and wrote a note on available paper on the dais, stating, ‘It’s Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming,’” according to prosecutors.
At a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing Tuesday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the compensation fund, saying it will be open to anyone victimized by a politically motivated prosecution, not just Jan. 6 defendants.
“It’s not limited to Republicans. … It’s not limited to the Biden weaponization. It’s not limited to, in any way scope or form, January 6 or to (targets of special counsel) Jack Smith. There’s no limitation on the claims,” Blanche said.
He rejected Democrats’ assertions that the fund is a massive, taxpayer-funded attempt by Trump to whitewash the assault on democracy.
“I think it’s telling that everybody on the left and … the liberal side of the media immediately says it’s a slush fund for President Trump’s friends,” Blanche said. “If anything else, that’s an outright admission that they know that the people that really had this Department of Justice weaponized against them were President Trump and his friends. But … that is not what the AG order that I signed yesterday says.”
Blanche, who served as Trump’s private attorney in several cases – prosecutions over election interference and classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago and allegations of hush money paid to an adult actress ahead of the 2016 election – faced strong criticism from Senate Democrats.
“You are acting today like the president’s personal attorney and that’s the whole problem,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who also noted that a huge banner with Trump’s portrait was draped over the front of the Department of Justice building in February.
At a homeland security committee meeting Tuesday, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego called for legislation barring establishment of a fund of the sort proposed by the Trump administration.
He called it outrageous to provide compensation to “traitors who attacked the Capitol.”
“No president, Republican or Democrat, should be able to use the federal treasury as a personal checkbook,” he said.
Angeli-Chansley now refers to himself as the “American Shaman.” He was heavily involved in the QAnon movement, which centered on a conspiracy theory that Trump was fighting a cabal of Satan worshippers who engage in child sex trafficking.
He was a strong MAGA supporter when the pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, interrupting congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.
Angeli-Chansley has since become disenchanted with Trump. He has also repudiated the QAnon movement.
In a rambling phone conversation with Cronkite News, he repeatedly cited Trump’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy financier and convicted sex offender who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting federal trial for trafficking young women and girls for sex.
He reiterated his anger with Trump for resisting the release of the Epstein files.
And he criticized Trump for attacking Iran and supporting Israel, among other things.
Angeli-Chansley sued Trump for $40 trillion in September 2025, asserting he is the true leader of the free world and vowing to use the sum to wipe out the national debt. The lawsuit was dismissed. He later filed a lawsuit against the CIA, FBI, World Bank and others in Maricopa County.
He urged fellow Jan. 6ers to “reject that … money.”
If courts allow the fund to operate, Angeli-Chansley said, it would mean that Trump “can do whatever it is that he wants.”
-
Lifestyle23 minutes ago‘Wait Wait’ for May 30, 2026: Our Endless Summer with Tiffany Haddish, Lucy Dacus, and more!
-
Education26 minutes agoVideo: Can California Convince Teens to Work in Construction?
-
Technology38 minutes agoBackrooms is a certified blockbuster with a $38 million opening day
-
World41 minutes agoHamas struggles to fill leadership ranks as Israel hunts Oct 7 terrorists
-
Politics46 minutes agoAnti-ICE agitator charged with allegedly biting officers during Delaney Hall clashes
-
Health53 minutes agoWhat to do if someone is having a stroke, after Jill Biden revealed debate-night fears
-
Sports56 minutes agoDispatch audio reveals what was heard inside Josh Jacobs’ home before alleged domestic violence arrest
-
Technology1 hour agoCab-less electric trucks hit Ohio roads
