EXPOSED: “How Rep. Ciscomani Helped Pack the Arizona Supreme Court with Anti-Abortion Judges”

A Tucson congressman who helped supervise the appointment of five anti-abortion justices to the Arizona Supreme Court now appears to be a victim of his own success, criticizing the court Monday for their decision to reinstate an 1864 total ban on abortion.

"The law is archaic," Republican US Rep. Juan Ciscomani told Arizona Public Media. "We need voters and input from our community of this century, having input on that law; not from 1864. I was critical of that. And you can read my statement on that as well. That was not good for women-not good for providers-to be under that."

Ciscomani's most recent statement regarding Arizona's total ban on abortion care aligns with the sentiment of most Arizonans. A poll conducted by Mercury Analytics for the nonprofit NewDEAL found that 60% of voters want government protections for reproductive healthcare, and less than 10% were strongly against any such protections.

But the first-term congressman's recent characterization of the ban's reinstatement as a "disaster for women" marks a departure from his work before he was elected to the US House. Prior to elected public service, Ciscomani worked as a high-level advisor in former Gov. Doug Ducey's administration for nearly a decade, meeting with him weekly and one of four staffers tasked with vetting judicial nominees before the judges were reviewed by the governor.

All four of the justices who voted to reinstate the 1864 ban were appointed while Ciscomoni worked in this capacity. A fifth sitting justice, Bill Montgomery, was also appointed by Ducey but recused himself from the abortion ban ruling because his extreme bias against abortion healthcare was made public.

Kirsten Engel, a former state legislator and current Democratic candidate vying to replace Ciscomani in Congress, said her opponent's careful clarification regarding the 1864 ban should not be mistaken for a reversal in ideology.

"This is frankly no surprise. Juan Ciscomani has been trying to restrict and ban abortion since he first sought public office, he is still doing it, and he will continue to do it," Engel told The Copper Courier. "Arizona deserves better than an anti-choice charlatan like Juan Ciscomani."

Ciscomani's office did not respond to requests for comment on this story.

Ciscomani served as a Senior Policy Advisor for Ducey, where he was one of four members of the governor's staff tasked with vetting judicial applicants, according to reporting from the Arizona Capitol Times.

In May 2016, the court was expanded from five justices to seven-against the advisement of then-Chief Justice Scott Bales-and in the next few years, five seats on the high court were given to justices whose records demonstrated adherence to extreme conservative policies, such as extreme restrictions on reproductive healthcare.

"I have the privilege of being part of the Governor's team who interviews judicial candidates before they meet with him," Ciscomani said in an October 2016 Facebook post. "We met with 7 outstanding candidates for the AZ Supreme Court. I'm in that room because of Governor Ducey's commitment to have Southern AZ at the table when making key decisions that impact our state."

After remaining consistent for nearly a decade, Ciscomani's stance on restrictive abortion laws quickly evolved as backlash for the total ban's reinstatement grew. What was once a short, straightforward two sentences on his campaign website in February, became a nuanced prose of vague platitudes after the court ruling in April.