Biography
James Porter was a Communist candidate for Arizona secretary of state detained in the prosecution following the September 6, 1934 Phoenix relief-workers’ strike. A Phoenix dispatch dated November 4 reported that Porter had been released the previous day into attorney Thomas J. Croaff’s custody.
Sources and evidence limits
Final verdict, full initial admission chronology and any later custody are unverified; attorney custody is not described as dismissal.
Historical claims are attributed to the contemporary newspaper. No present-day custody status, demographic classification or precise date is inferred.
The Daily Worker of October 23, 1934, page 3, names twenty-eight defendants in the Phoenix FERA relief-workers strike prosecution. It reports their demand for separate jury trials, a delayed arraignment because Judge H. C. Speakman was absent, and an objection by Judge G. A. Rodgers to differing bail amounts on the same riot charge. Thomas J. Croaff is named as defense counsel. The arrests followed the September 6 demonstration attacked by police and deputies under Governor Moeur. This is a pretrial report, not an additional arrest, imposed sentence or continuous custody measurement. Allegations of political targeting and official violence are attributed to the newspaper.
The November 4 Phoenix dispatch reports release into attorney Thomas J. Croaff’s custody the previous day, supporting the existing November 3 disposition. It distinguishes Porter from Naff and Felix Garcia; an OCR weekday reading is not used to replace the date.