By Kiera Riley | Arizona Capitol Times
A long-fought legal battle to see state Court of Appeals judges stand for retention elections statewide, as opposed to by county of residence, is now under consideration by the state high court.
Attempts to alter the judicial retention election system for intermediate appellate judges started in the Legislature, and with insufficient success, soldiered through the courts on constitutionality grounds.
A final decision, now pending in the Arizona Supreme Court, could either add 28 judges to the statewide ballot in 2026, or send the Goldwater Institute, the chief advocate for the policy change, back to the Legislature to try again.
