Attorney Andy Gaona

Washington Post Taps Andy Gaona for Insights into 2024 Arizona Abortion Ballot Measure

Major abortion rights groups are launching a bid to enshrine abortion protections into the Arizona Constitution through a voter initiative that would appear on the ballot in 2024. Andy Gaona, head of Coppersmith Brockelman’s nationally recognized elections, political, and public law practice and attorney representing the abortion rights effort, was called on by the Washington Post for commentary on this historic effort. Andy told the Washington Post that initiatives are a fundamental part of Arizona’s history, and that this recent effort fits squarely within the initiative power’s use when elected representatives fail to respond to their constituents. Indeed, a ballot measure approved shortly after statehood secured women’s suffrage rights. An experienced political, election, and constitutional law attorney, Andy has played a critical role in the practice’s biggest...

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Attorney Andy Gaona

Arizona Supreme Court Appoints Election Practice Leader Andy Gaona to Judicial Performance Review Task Force

With a deep-seated commitment to championing transparency in public processes and maintaining the integrity of elections,  Andy Gaona – head of Coppersmith Brockelman’s nationally recognized elections, political, and public law practice – was named to the Arizona Supreme Court Task Force overseeing reforms to the Judicial Performance Review system. Appointed by Chief Justice Robert M. Brutinel of the Arizona Supreme Court, Andy is one of 21 members called to develop recommendations to expand and improve the judicial performance review process, which currently evaluates the performance of all judges and justices who stand for retention. Andy is one of only three practicing attorneys appointed to the Task Force, and will join current and retired judges and others in helping the Arizona Supreme Court with this important task. He...

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Attorney Andy Gaona

Andy Gaona Leads Coppersmith Brockelman’s Political & Election Practice as Roopali Desai Exits for Ninth Circuit Judgeship

With Roopali Desai leaving to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Coppersmith Brockelman not only congratulates her on the appointment, but also announces that Andy Gaona will take up the mantle of the firm’s nationally recognized elections, political, and public law practice she helped build and ensure its important work continues and expands throughout Arizona. In her 15 years at Coppersmith Brockelman, Desai focused on defending election challenges, ensuring compliance with campaign finance laws and representing a variety of initiative and candidate campaigns. Most recently, she prevailed in 11 lawsuits related to Arizona’s 2020 General Election and successfully represented two statewide initiative campaigns. Additionally, she helped the firm's business clients resolve a variety of disputes. “President Biden and the U.S. Senate...

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Roopali represents four initiative campaigns who filed a Petition for Special Action with the Arizona Supreme Court to seek an order permitting them to use the E-Qual system to obtain online signatures

Arizona Capitol Times Gets Roopali Desai’s Take on Legislative Proposals

When covering three legislative proposals (HCR2032, HCR2046 and SCR1020) that could scale back Arizona voters’ lawmaking powers and upend Arizona’s ballot initiative and referral system, Arizona Capitol Times turned to Coppersmith Brockelman’s Roopali Desai for expert commentary. A highly regarded election and political lawyer, Roopali highlighted how the proposed laws are an attempt to undermine voters’ constitutional rights to legislate co-equally with the legislative branch. Moreover, she says, these changes could result in lengthy ballots and costly elections, ultimately leading to voter disengagement.  Roopali, who is a partner in the firm’s litigation group, advises clients on all aspects of election law, including campaign finance compliance, disclosure and reporting requirements, and bringing and defending election challenges. She is especially known for her experience representing initiative, referendum, and recall campaigns, and...

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Roopali represents four initiative campaigns who filed a Petition for Special Action with the Arizona Supreme Court to seek an order permitting them to use the E-Qual system to obtain online signatures

Roopali Desai Talks to KJZZ About Ballot Proposal That Expands Voter Protections, Strengthens Conflict of Interest Laws

As one of the state’s leading election and political law attorneys, Roopali Desai discussed the Democracy and Accountability Act in an interview with KJZZ. This ballot proposal would strengthen conflict of interest rules, eliminate a ban on door-to-door ballot collections and address restrictions on the citizen initiative process. The hope is to promote issues that are most important to Arizona voters, rather than special interests.  Roopali explained the initiative seeks to implement laws:  To stop corruption and self-dealing by state legislators. To ensure access to voting by extending the early voting period and allow voters to request assistance to turn in their early ballots. To protect the rights of voters who sign initiative petitions.To fix procedural inconsistencies and streamline requirements for citizen initiatives. Roopali noted that the initiative is working to address...

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Andy Gordon Shares Expertise on “The Wall” with Arizona Media Outlets

When President Trump announced plans to move forward with "The Wall," local media turned to Andy Gordon, one of the state’s foremost political and election law experts, to grasp the implications at the local and national levels. While working with the Department of Homeland Security, Andy became intimately aware of the costs and benefits of constructing the fence, as this was part of his day-to-day responsibility. He understands - perhaps better than anyone in Arizona - the far-reaching impacts of such a costly endeavor (with very little ROI). In addition to sharing his expertise with Fox News, 3TV, ABC 15 and 12 News, he elaborated on the environmental impact for the Arizona Republic and penned a commentary for the Arizona Capitol Times....

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