Seeking re-election: Pima County Attorney Laura Conover announced Wednesday her plans to seek a second term in office. Conover touted her achievements, including ending the death penalty and launching what she said was the state’s first restorative justice program. Her priorities if she’s elected for a second term include reducing gun violence and “leaning heavily into juvenile justice,” as the county is seeing an uptick in younger defendants with more serious charges. (Tucson Agenda) (October 19, 2023)

You might not recognize Mike Jette’s name, but you’ve probably heard about some of the cases he’s handled: the Rio Nuevo probe years ago, theft at the Tucson Museum of Art, cattle rustling at the Marana Stockyards and Livestock Market, and the Super Bowl pornography hack. Jette, 51, has been a prosecutor for the past 16 years at the Santa Cruz County Attorney’s Office, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office. He’s prosecuted a wide array of cases, from homicide to public corruption to fraud. He also spent more than two years training prosecutors in Pakistan, as well as the Philippines and Bangladesh, on cases involving U.S. citizens, terrorism and money-laundering as part of a Department of Justice program. (Tucson Agenda) (January 16)

Weighing in: Former Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall wrote a scathing opinion piece for the *Star,* claiming that current Pima County Attorney Laura Conover has failed the community. LaWall highlighted two high-profile cases that she said were mishandled due to Conover’s lack of prosecutorial experience and urged readers to vote for Conover’s opponent, Mike Jette. (April 24)

Rebuttal for the prosecutor: Local attorney Lou Spivack says he was “appalled” by the scathing op-ed former Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall wrote about current County Attorney Laura Conover, who is running for re-election this year. In a rebuttal op-ed in the Arizona Daily Star, Spivack, who worked in the county attorney’s office from 1981 to 2010, said LaWall was spreading “misinformation” and “a changing of the guard was needed in 2020 and we need to continue to move forward with Laura in 2024.” (April 30)

Room for debate: The two Democratic candidates for Pima County attorney debated last Saturday, with more than a few testy exchanges, the Tucson Sentinel’s Paul Ingram reports. Incumbent County Attorney Laura Conover and challenger Mike Jette didn’t have many policy differences, but they did have drastically different views of how Conover has done in her first term. They’re the only ones running, so whoever wins the July 30 primary will take office for the four-year term. (May 1)