Arizona governor bars county attorney generals from prosecuting abortion cases

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) signed an executive order on Friday that effectively stops county attorney generals in the state from prosecuting abortion cases.

The order strips the power of Arizona's 15 county attorney generals from prosecuting any abortion-related crimes. The order gives Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, sole discretion "over criminal prosecutions of medical providers, other entities, or individuals for violations of Arizona's abortion statutes," Axios reported.

Hobbs' order also took additional steps to protect abortion rights in Arizona, including barring state agencies from assisting with criminal abortion investigations, as well as the blocking of extraditions to other states for abortion violations that wouldn't be illegal in Arizona. Hobbs also established a Council on Protecting Reproductive Freedom to "expand access to sexual and reproductive freedom health care in Arizona."

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"I will not allow extreme and out-of-touch politicians to get in the way of the fundamental rights of Arizonans," Hobbs wrote in a tweet announcing the order. She added that the consolidation of prosecuting powers under Mayes will help to "ensure differences in application of the law by county attorneys do not restrict access to legal abortions."

Mayes released a statement saying that "Arizona has leaders that are committed to clarity and sanity." She added that "anti-abortion extremists will stop at nothing in their attempts to impose their radical beliefs on the rest of the country. I don't accept that."

The order was signed nearly a year to the day after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, bringing the issue of abortion rights back to individual states. It comes as pro-choice activists continue to campaign for additional protections in Arizona. A state appeals court overturned an abortion ban throughout Arizona in December 2022, in a case that also protects doctors who perform abortions. The case is pending before the Arizona Supreme Court.