Arizona Supreme Court Justices and Justices of the Peace voting

In addition to deciding whether to keep Arizona Supreme Court Justices Clint Bolick and Katherine Kingdozens of lower court judges were on the Maricopa County ballot.

In Arizona, trial court judges in Maricopa, Pima, Pinal and Coconino counties, appellate court judges, and Supreme Court judges are appointed by the governor. All appointed judges participate in elections for retention after two years in office. Thereafter, appellate court judges, including Supreme Court judges, will be re-elected every six years, and trial court judges will vote to remain in office every four years.

The Arizona Judicial Performance Review Commission evaluates appointed judges by interviewing witnesses, jurors, court staff and others who have observed the judges work. This year, a majority of the commission found that all 69 judges eligible for retention on the Nov. 5 statewide ballot met standards for tenure.

Commission reports are available for review on your website. Voters can find out when judges were appointed, read their judicial performance reports, and, if necessary, view short biographies of some judges.

The commission’s website also includes links to decisions by Court of Appeal and Supreme Court judges to be preserved.

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The group Civic Engagement Beyond the Ballot, formed after the 2016 election, tried to provide voters with information about judges on the ballot beyond what the commission provided.

The group’s founder, Kathy Sigmon, said she created the organization to provide information about legislative elections. In 2020 added “Hammer watch“Guide to Voting in Court Elections.

Sigmon said she appreciated the information the commission provided about judges, but felt it was insufficient.

“We’ve found that people are really grateful for a source they can go to when they don’t want to dive into JPR spreadsheets,” Sigmon said. “We provide explanations for judges’ opinions and address any bias they may convey to judges.”

She said her group, affiliated with the national progressive nonprofit Indivisible, is nonpartisan but not neutral.

“One of the things that bothers me about the Judicial Review Commission reports is that many of them rely on just a few survey responses from each judge,” Sigmon said. “I feel like it’s woefully inadequate.”

Sigmon said she and a group of volunteers supplement the commission’s reports with publicly available information and relevant news.

Will Arizona voters end automatic judicial retention elections with Proposition 137?

The ballot measure before voters this election would eliminate automatic retention elections for judges. Proposition 137 was brought to a vote by the Legislature.

If the measure is adopted, judges can be removed from office only through existing removal and revocation procedures set forth in the Arizona Constitution, or if they have done something to trigger a retention election.

The measure, if passed, would be retroactive and would invalidate any judicial vote on the Nov. 5 ballot.

2 competitive justice of the peace races in Maricopa County

Arizona’s justice courts are based on population, and there are 26 in Maricopa County. Each court has one magistrate and one constable. Justice courts handle misdemeanors, orders of protection, evictions, traffic violations, and civil cases at a lower cost.

Magistrate judges are elected to four-year terms and receive an annual salary of approximately $100,000. Candidates do not need to be lawyers or have any special education. All races except those from the Moon Valley and North Mesa judicial districts do not participate in general elections.

IN North Mesa siteIncumbent Republican Kyle Jones is being challenged by Democrat Kiana Sears.

IN Moon Valley DistrictDemocrat Mireya Arroyo competed against Republican Michael Irish.

This story will be updated as election results are reported.