By Jeremy Duda | Arizona Capitol Times
The Commission on Appellate Court Appointments will interview nine of the 12 applicants for the Arizona Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Rebecca White Berch’s retirement, which will be Gov. Doug Ducey’s first appointment to the state’s highest court.
The panel chose Arizona Court of Appeals judges Michael Brown, Kent Cattani, Andrew Gould, Maurice Portley, Samuel Thumma and Lawrence Winthrop, along with Goldwater Institute litigation chief Clint Bolick, former Gila County Attorney Daisy Flores and Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Timothy Thomason to move on to the next phase in the selection process. The commission will interview the candidates at its Nov. 20 meeting.
Under the Arizona Constitution, the commission must send at least three nominees to the governor, with no more than two of the same political party. Mike Liburdi, Ducey’s general counsel, urged the panel to send more than the minimum number of names to the Ninth Floor.
