Wednesday, good friend of the Phoenix Coyotes relocation project, Clint Bolick of the Goldwater Institute, presented the most important oral arguments to be heard in the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One this session. As attorneys for Ms. Vong, a Gilbert area former spa owner, Bolick argued against the state government's right to regulate a nail salon's use of so-called "fish pedicures."
Yes, Bolick used his witty repartee to charm Presiding Judge Swann and Judges Irvine and Portley for why the spa's failure to file timely its appeal to the administrative proceeding was excused under the state and federal constitutions. With a charming opener stating that the state's "Motion to Dismiss was as toothless as the fish in question in this lawsuit," and a closing that the "fish just want to get back to work," Bolick prosecuted the rights of the working class that demands our state's resources.
And for this, more than one media outlet was in attendance. Heck, the national news has been covering this case for several weeks.
Why? Because as has become Goldwater's position recently, it's all about getting their name in the press and drawing attention to themselves as evidenced by the numerous press releases that GWI made about this fairly mundane case. However, after oral arguments, there was Clint on the steps of the Court of Appeals holding a press conference presumably for longer than his 30 minute oral argument lasted.
But that's how it goes in the wonderful world of GWI.
The case heard by Judges Swann, Irvine and Portley right before Bolick's charade involved whether an undocumented worker that was hired by a house flipper and injured performing work at one of the flipper's houses was entitled to receive worker's compensation.
In these fairly heady times of immigration debate in our state, this was a pretty meaty case, in my opinion. Number of media in attendance: 0. Number of stories you'll see about the arguments or the opinion when it gets drafted several weeks from now: probably none.
But, hey, Clint Bolick was on the news again today for Goldwater and that's a victory for them.