Amicus
& Rules

FEATURED

Cruz v. Arizona

AACJ collaborated with the Arizona Capital Representation Project on an amicus brief authored by Professor Elizabeth Bentley in Minnesota. The issue in this case is whether the Arizona Supreme Court purposefully ignored binding SCOTUS law on the right of a defendant to inform a capital jury that the defendant is ineligible for parole – a fact which is proven to influence juries when deciding whether to impose the death penalty. Once SCOTUS decided Lynch v. Arizona in 2016, however, it became obvious that Arizona had been disregarding the law. The Arizona Supreme Court responded by continuing to deny post-conviction relief to defendants, now claiming that Lynch did not change the law but merely how the law was applied. In oral argument yesterday, several SCOTUS justices called this sophistry what it was: Justice Barrett called it “hair-splitting,” and Justice Kagan said “I think Kafka would have loved this.”

Most fulfilling was hearing Justice Sotomayor specifically cite our brief in the argument! Her question begins at 35:35 of the recording. You can hear the recording at:

Cruz v. Arizona Oral Argument
Download Brief
Rule Changes
Amicus Briefs
Archived Briefs
Archived Rule Changes

2022 Rule change

2022 Amicus Briefs

Archive

Archived Amicus Briefs

Archive

Rule Change Petitions & Comments

Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice

A statewide not-for-profit membership organization of criminal defense lawyers, law students and associated professionals dedicated to protecting the rights of the accused in the courts and in the legislature, promoting excellence in the practice of criminal law through education, training and mutual assistance, and fostering public awareness of citizens’ rights, the criminal justice system and the role of the defense lawyer.

AACJ Executive Director
Open
2023 AACJ Officers
Criminal Defense Attorney Rhonda Neff
President
Rhonda Neff
Law Offices of Rhonda Neff
Sarah Mayhew
President Elect
Sarah Mayhew
City of Tucson
Lina Garcia
Treasurer
Lina Garcia
Maricopa County Public Defender
Angela C. Poliquin
Secretary
Angela Poliquin
Grand Canyon Law Group
Criminal Defense Attorney Armando Nava
Past President
Armando Nava
The Nava Law Firm
Priorities
Top Priorities
Join
Join a Committee
Donate
Contribute
News
News
PO Box 44304, Phoenix, AZ 85064
© 2023, All Rights Reserved, Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice