Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is Gone and No One Knows Where

A mysterious trip out of state, according to the Associated Press, has caused Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to shirk her duties to certify election ballots, and nobody knows where she is:

Brewer spokesman Matthew Benson said in a brief email to The Associated Press that Brewer was unavailable to participate in the general election canvass Monday morning because she was out of the state on official business.

"That is all I can disclose at this time," Benson added.

He later reiterated that during a brief phone interview during which he said he could not respond to several questions about Brewer's whereabouts.

Under the Arizona Constitution, Secretary of State Ken Bennett is the acting governor because Brewer is absent from the state. Bennett said his office late Friday received the customary notification of Brewer's absence. Bennett spokesman Matt Roberts said the notification sent by a Brewer scheduling aide said the governor would be gone Sunday morning to Saturday afternoon. Roberts said Bennett and his staff did not receive any additional information about Brewer's whereabouts.

Jan Brewer Wonders Where The Hell Global Warming Question Came From: VIDEO

Jan Brewer, the Arizona governor known for fierce anti-gay and anti-immigrant policies and the awkward on-camera moment, was asked about global warming this weekend and responded with predictable ignorance.

"Everybody has an opinion on it and I probably don’t believe that it’s man made," Brewer told KTVK. "I believe, you know, that weather elements are controlled by other things." She later asked the reporter, "Where in the hell did that come from?"

It was man made, of course. 

Watch KTVK video of the exchange, via TPM, AFTER THE JUMP.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer Confuses Barack Obama And Mitt Romney: VIDEO

Surely Tea Party maven and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer didn't mean to endorse President Obama last night, right?

"I know that if President Obama is elected in November, which I hope that he is, that he will be able to come together with all of us and come up with a solution and I believe he will secure our borders and therefore we can resolve all those other issues, it's a simple matter," the clearly confused Republican said.

Watch Brewer make a huge flub AFTER THE JUMP.

Jan Brewer's Anti-Gay Benefits Crusade Leads To Resignation

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has stirred the pot once again by asking the Supreme Court to hear a discrimination case involving benefits for state employees' same-sex partners.

Former Gov. Janet Napolitano had previously signed an executive order allowing benefits for state and university workers, but Brewer, a Tea Party conservative, reversed that decision.

Two federal courts have said that withholding benefits violates the Constitution, so Brewer thinks the Supreme Court should get involved, as if it doesn't have enough potential gay cases on its plate.

Besides, Lambda Legal says it's too soon for SCOTUS to consider the matter.

Tara Borelli is a staff attorney with the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, which filed the lawsuit challenging the law on behalf of gay employees.

She said it is inappropriate for the high court to consider overturning the injunction because the underlying case has not yet gone to trial. Borelli pointed out that the state has not yet introduced evidence about the cost-savings associated with eliminating benefits to same-sex partners, even though "that has been one of their primary justifications."

"This case is about equal pay for equal work," she said. "And we now have multiple judges who have looked at the case and have said Arizona simply has no good reason to deny important compensation for state workers that others can take for granted. We think this is about a desire to treat lesbian and gay state workers unequally."

Democratic State Rep. Matt Heinz, who is openly gay, blasted Brewer's decision last week, saying, "Since (Senate Bill) 1070 largely failed, Governor Jan Brewer decided to shift her efforts to legalize bigotry from one population to another." He's not the only state official who took umbrage with Brewer's overreach.

The Arizona Daily Sun reports that Edwin Leslie, a hotelier who Brewer appointed to a state tourism board, stepped down in protest. "Your actions ... are in direct conflict with your reiteration that all Americans are entitled to the same 'inalienable rights,'" he wrote in his resignation letter. He also said that her actions will hurt Arizona's tourism industry.

"The state of Arizona derives considerable revenues from tourism and considerable revenues from the LGBT community members that visit our great state," wrote Leslie, who is openly gay. "The tourism industry is critical to the state's economy. I urge you to put aside the politics."

He went on: "It is my hope that one day the state of Arizona leads the nation in extending benefits to LGBT families, allowing same sex marriage and adoption, and show that everyone is welcome in Arizona."

Brewer's office said it is "regrettable" Leslie "has opted to politicize his [resignation] in this manner." They also said Brewer's quest isn't about discrimination, but about reining in power Napalitano let run wild.

"[This] is about the authority of Arizona's duly elected officials to make budget decisions for this state," said the governor's spokesman.

Federal Appeals Court Says Same-Sex Partners of Arizona State Employees Can Have Health Benefits

You may recall that back in 2009, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer eliminated state domestic partner benefits a year after they were implemented. The 9th Circuit today dealt Brewer a defeat, upholding an injunction barring enforcement of the law Brewer signed, Courthouse News Service reports:

A group of nine gay and lesbian state employees sued Arizona, Gov. Jan Brewer and other officials in Phoenix, alleging violations of their rights to equal protection and due process.

The state argued that it had canceled the benefits to save money, but it failed to show how much the benefits actually cost, according to the ruling.    

U.S. District Court Judge John Sedwick enjoined the law, ruling that it was likely unconstitutional and that the plaintiffs were apt to suffer great harm if it went into effect.

The 9th Circuit affirmed unanimously, finding that the state's justification was doomed to fail even if the state explained its cost-saving theory.

The Tucson Citizen adds:

In issuing its ruling Tuesday, the appellate court ruled that denying the benefits would violate the equal protection provisions of the U.S. Constitution.

“Today’s decision by the Ninth Circuit means Arizona’s lesbian and gay state employees will not suddenly find themselves without vital family health coverage,” said Tara Borelli, a staff attorney with Lambda Legal, a New York-based advocacy group that filed the lawsuit on behalf of seven state employees. “Our clients are simply seeking equal pay for equal work.”

In February, lawyers for Arizona used cost-cutting excuses in an attempt to keep from having to pay the benefits while the 9th Circuit made its decision.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer Signs Law Giving Married Couples Priority Consideration Over Gays in Adopting Children

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer gave her signature to an anti-gay adoption bill Monday, the Phoenix New Times reports:

The new law doesn't necessarily say homosexuals can't adopt kids -- but it states that Arizona would prefer that married couples be given higher consideration for adoptions than non-married people, if all other factors are equal.

In other words, since homosexuals aren't allowed to tie the knot in Arizona -- yet -- they would lose out to heterosexual married couples every time.

"Arizona desperately needed Governor Brewer to demonstrate real leadership today. Instead, we were given another bad law enacted out of political allegiance rather than what's best for Arizona and Arizona's children," Equality Arizona Chairman Tom Mann says. "Experienced child health and social service authorities, not politicians, should make adoption decisions."

The Arizona Republic adds: 

The bill applies to both state and private adoption agencies. Previously, only Utah has a law requiring priority for married couples, though several other states have bans on adoptions by same-sex couples or by unmarried couples.

Conservative groups and other supporters of the measure said children should have every opportunity to grow up in a household with a mom and dad. But critics said the bill will discourage singles from considering adoption in Arizona. About one-third of the foster children in Arizona are adopted by an unmarried person.

Did God tell her to do it again?

UPDATE: Brewer vetoes 'birther' bill and campus gun bill.