Kiera Riley
Arizona Capitol Times
All but one judge up for retention met judicial standards, the Judicial Performance Review Commission found in its 2024 review of judges and justices.
The latest round of judicial performance review marks the first since a task force undertook a major rule and process overhaul after three judges were not retained in 2022, despite only one judge being deemed unfit for the bench.
In recommended and since-adopted rule changes, commissioners prioritized heightened voter information and clarity going into the 2024 retention election, citing “voter confusion” in the past cycle as a conduit for a higher judicial rejection rate among voters.
The latest cycle brought a fundamental change to how commissioners vote and puts out a general goal to “maximize the information available to voters,” a move which comes in tandem with growing electoral interest in judicial retention elections.
Adopted rule changes to the commission shifted how the commission reviews judges prior to the vote. The process has long relied on survey responses to assess where judges may be falling short, but the task force added in opportunities for judges to address the commission on any failings prior to a vote.
In the course of this year’s judicial performance review, commission members reviewed more than 14,000 survey responses from attorneys, jurors, parties, witnesses, victims in criminal cases, court employees and any other judicial officers or people who had direct contact and knowledge for a judges’ performance during the specified period, and took note of public comments.
