Zig Popko

Zig Popko, Director of the Post-Conviction Clinic at the College of Law, was quoted in an April 13 Associated Press article entitled, “Judge denies mistrial request in sweat lodge case,” by reporter Felicia Fonseca.

The article discussed the judge’s decision to deny a mistrial request in the Arizona sweat lodge case, where defendant, James Arthur Ray, is facing charges based on his alleged involvement in the deaths of three people who died after 2009 sweat lodge ceremony he led. Ray’s attorneys filed for a mistrial after they discovered that the prosecutors broke a disclosure rule when they failed to provide an email from an environmental scientist to the defense.

Popko described the different ways the defense could move forward in remedying the prosecutors’ failure to provide the email, including filing sanctions because of the violation that include monetary penalties. He also explained that mistrials are not typically the favored outcome, especially in cases that have been going on for weeks, because of the significant amount of time, effort and money already put into the case.

To read the entire article, click here.

Popko teaches legal research and is a member of the board of governors of Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice. He also serves as the editor of AACJ's quarterly publication, The Defender. Popko has been a member of the Legal Writing Institute since 2001 and presently serves on its ABA Standards Education Committee.