State of Arizona v. Jordan Christopher Ewer

Summary

The court held that Arizona's self-defense justification statute applies only to the defendant's conduct, not to the victim's conduct. It therefore concluded that the trial court improperly modified the standard justification instructions and permitted the State to argue that the victim's conduct had to be legally justified before the defendant could claim self-defense. The court reversed the trial judgment and remanded for a new trial. No separate opinions were filed.