Week in Review: Government’s One Purpose

All of us at the Goldwater Institute are mourning the loss of a true friend and American hero, Retired Air Force Colonel Roy Miller, who passed away peacefully at his home this month at the age of 78.

A founding member of the Goldwater Institute and a beloved father of three and grandfather of seven, Roy was highly respected for his dedication to freedom, honesty, and a lifelong quest for knowledge.

“Fundamentally, I believe that government has only one legitimate purpose, and that is protecting liberty,” he once said. Indeed, Roy was a tenacious and original supporter of the Institute’s mission to defend individual liberty—who even went to court alongside Goldwater attorneys to challenge state government overreach.

Roy’s wisdom and dedication to the principles that make our state and nation great will be deeply missed. In his memory, we pledge to continue fighting, in Arizona and around the nation, for more freedom for more Americans.

Welcome to Goldwater Country

Lawmakers and luminaries of the liberty movement from around the nation descended on Phoenix this week for the State Policy Network (SPN) Annual Meeting. And they got a firsthand look at how the Goldwater Institute achieves real wins for freedom.

 

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In a resounding victory for Scottsdale taxpayers, the Arizona Court of Appeals struck down Scottsdale officials’ deceptive sales pitch on a proposed tax hike, which marketed a tax increase as a tax cut, after Goldwater helped three taxpayers challenge the illegal deception. The unanimous decision was the talk of the town at this year’s SPN convening, where Goldwater attorneys and policy experts shared knowledge and tips for how to win.

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The ruling was one of Goldwater’s many highlights from SPN, as the Institute welcomed our friends, partner organizations, and supporters to Goldwater Country and showed them how we win.

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Goldwater to Defend Arizonans’ Rights in AZ Supreme Court—Again 

Government in Arizona is yet again stepping on its citizens’ rights. Now, for the twelfth time, the Goldwater Institute is heading back to the Arizona Supreme Court—this time to defend voters’ right to have an equal say in holding their government accountable.

When it comes to voting to keep or “retain” judges on the Arizona Court of Appeals, which for most litigants is the court of last resort, Arizonans’ choices are arbitrarily limited by geography to only certain judges—even though Court of Appeals decisions set statewide legal precedent for all Arizonans. Goldwater filed suit over this unconstitutional system on behalf of four disenfranchised voters—now we’re excited to argue our case before the state Supreme Court.

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