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Court's Overturn Gives Green Light to Challenger

When is a law not a law?

That’s what Democrats are asking after the state Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s ruling that a Republican candidate had committed petition forgery.

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that Russell Jones will be on the ballot for the state Senate race in District 24. Democrat Amanda Aguirre’s win in District 24 is considered crucial to stopping the Republican campaign for a veto-proof Legislature.

A Maricopa Superior Court Judge had ruled there was enough evidence that Jones had misrepresented to the court that he had himself obtained signatures on a nominating petition on May 1 in Yuma. The evidence indicated that Jones, in fact, was in Phoenix attending legislative proceedings.

Aguirre, who has served two terms in the state House, says, "We need to change the law and make it more specific, or clarify the law. Otherwise, what’s the purpose of this law if we are not going to apply it?"

Jones did not return phone calls from Latino Perspectives for comment.

Yuma County Democratic Party Vice Chair Charlene Fernandez says that the court battle will be on the minds of Yuma voters.

"I think we should be able to expect our legislators to tell the truth," Fernandez says, "If he can’t even do that, how can Russ Jones represent us?"