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The Safety Net Has a Hole: What Arizona’s New Mandatory Reporting Overhaul Means for Educators
By Brad TenBrook As a criminal defense attorney who handles child abuse and failure-to-report cases in Arizona, I have spent years watching the intersection of good intentions and bad legislation. A recent law passed in 2025, Senate Bill 1437, fundamentally changed the stakes for Arizona educators by amending the mandatory reporting (A.R.S. § 13-3620) and […]
A DCS Investigation Can Happen to Anyone (Even a Former Cabinet Secretary)
When most people picture a family on the receiving end of a child welfare investigation, they don’t picture someone like Pete Buttigieg. Someone with the nickname “Mayor Pete” has created a public image of a happy, healthy family life. But this past week, the former U.S. Transportation Secretary revealed that his home was visited by […]
Baby Brokers: How Adoption Became a Multi-Billion Dollar Industry
By Ryan T. McGuire In 2020, Paul Petersen pled guilty to running an illegal adoption ring. Petersen was the former Maricopa County Assessor and an attorney in Mesa, Arizona. He arranged for pregnant women from the Republic of the Marshall Islands to travel to the United States, paid them a $10,000 stipend plus postpartum payments, […]
Rough Diaper Changes and Classic Metaphyseal Lesions
By Ryan T. McGuire In August 2024, an Indiana father, Tristan Dean Gerhardt, was charged after his six-month-old was found with fractures in all four limbs [1]. A skeletal survey revealed multiple fractures in both arms and legs. Oral injuries suggested something had been forced into the infant’s mouth. Treating physicians told investigators that most […]
The Triad of Abusive Head Trauma
By Ryan T. McGuire In October 2025, a Virginia man, La’Shaun Quintae Holloway, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing his two-month-old baby [1]. The facts of the case were horrific. While the baby was in Holloway’s sole care, family members heard him over an Xbox headset yelling obscenities at the infant. Shortly […]
Juvenile Court, Family Court, and Rule 5.1 ARFLP
By Ryan T. McGuire On July 15, 2025, Division One of the Arizona Court of Appeals issued an important ruling on Rule 5.1, Arizona Rules of Family Law Procedure. [1] The ruling illustrates the complexity of procedural rules. Rule 5.1 becomes relevant when a family has both legal decision-making and parenting time (formerly child custody) […]
What would a Prenup for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce look like under Arizona Law? It’s Actually Romantic.
By Ryan T. McGuire and Isabel Ranney I. Introduction The engagement of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, announced on August 26, 2025, captivated the world. [1] As one of the most high-profile couples in America with collective assets worth billions of dollars, it is likely that they are contemplating entering into a prenuptial agreement […]
How Flagstaff’s High Cost of Living Shapes Spousal Support Under A.R.S. § 25-319
By Ryan T. McGuire Does your city of residence impact your divorce? You might assume it does not matter. Divorce is primarily governed by state law, so any city within the state should yield the same result. But divorce often hinges on money, and in high-cost cities like Flagstaff, financial realities can significantly shape outcomes. […]
Judicial Bypass in Arizona: Navigating Abortion Rights After Proposition 139
On November 5, 2024, Arizona voters passed Proposition 139, enshrining a fundamental right to abortion in the Arizona Constitution. [1] Previously, as reported in our blog post “Bypass: The Future of Abortion Access for One of the Most Vulnerable Populations,” [2] the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs overruled Roe’s right to abortion, which called the […]
Who’s a Mandatory Reporter, Anyway?
Paging Father M.D. by Ryan T. McGuire, Law Clerk You are driving home from work and are stopped behind a bus at a busy Phoenix intersection. You see what you assume is a mother tugging her toddler by the arm, perhaps trying to get the child ready to get on the bus as it approaches […]