Are Arizona Lawmakers Above The Law?

By pure definition, Democracy is a political system decided by and for the people. We can't just have every man for themselves, though, that's called anarchy, and we don't exactly want that here.

In order to ensure we can have a functioning nation, we elect politicians to make the rules for us, but that shouldn't mean they're above the laws they write.

Legislative Immunity in Arizona

In late January, State Senator Jake Hoffman was pulled over for driving 89 mph in a 65 mph zone, a whopping TWENTY-FOUR miles above the speed limit. Was Hoffman penalized? No, he was let go with no ticket, no warning, no nothing.

This is due to a process known as "Legislative Immunity", which, described by the Arizona State Constitution that "Members of the legislature shall be privileged from arrest in all cases except treason, felony, and breach of the peace, and they shall not be subject to any civil process during the session of the legislature..."

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Arizona is Fed Up

Many residents of Arizona have been incredibly unhappy hearing about this loophole over and over again. They believe that no one should be above the law, most of all the people who are writing them.

We may begin to see changes soon, as Republican State Representative Quang Nguyen introduced HCR 2503. This would effectively rewrite the Arizona Constitution, adding "ALL TRAFFIC LAWS" into the list of exceptions to Legislative Immunity. Whether or not this will lead to actual change, we can't say for sure, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.

[ABC15][AZ State Constitution][HCR 2053]