Judge upholds law blocking Scottsdale vote on Axon HQ

In May 2026 Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Michael Herrod ruled that Senate Bill 1543, the Arizona law that removed Scottsdale voters’ ability to hold a referendum on Axon’s planned headquarters and housing project, is constitutional. A residents’ group, Taxpayers Against Awful Apartment Zoning Exemptions, had gathered enough signatures to put the rezoning on the ballot before the governor signed the bill. The law requires cities of 200,000 to 500,000 residents to allow hotel and multifamily housing on land zoned like the Axon parcel without a public hearing. Herrod wrote that the bill was clearly triggered by Axon’s zoning situation but, because it can apply in other cities, is not a special law. The group announced on June 1 that it would appeal. Scottsdale’s council voted 6-1 on September 12, 2025 to file a notice of claim against the state.