Arizona judicial elections, 2016
Seven seats on Arizona's state-level courts were up for retention elections on November 8, 2016. One justice on the Arizona Supreme Court joined six judges on the Arizona Court of Appeals in seeking retention to their appointed seats.
Judges who faced retention
Supreme Court
Court of Appeals
- Judge John Gemmill did not file to stand for retention, even though his term was set to expire in 2017.
■ Jon Thompson
■ Kent Cattani
■ Lawrence Winthrop
■ Michael J. Brown
■ Kenton Jones
■ Michael O. Miller
Election results
November 8, 2016
Ann Timmer was retained in the Arizona Supreme Court retention election with 76.71% of the vote.
| Arizona Supreme Court, Timmer's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
 Ann Timmer | 76.71% | |
| Source: Arizona Secretary of State | ||
Jon Thompson was retained in the Arizona Court of Appeals, Thompson's seat election with 79.02% of the vote.
| Arizona Court of Appeals, Thompson's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Jon Thompson | 79.02% | |
| Source: Arizona Secretary of State | ||
Kent Cattani was retained in the Arizona Court of Appeals, Cattani's seat election with 72.06% of the vote.
| Arizona Court of Appeals, Cattani's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Kent Cattani | 72.06% | |
| Source: Arizona Secretary of State | ||
Lawrence Winthrop was retained in the Arizona Court of Appeals, Winthrop's seat election with 72.53% of the vote.
| Arizona Court of Appeals, Winthrop's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Lawrence Winthrop | 72.53% | |
| Source: Arizona Secretary of State | ||
Michael J. Brown was retained in the Arizona Court of Appeals, Brown's seat election with 79.24% of the vote.
| Arizona Court of Appeals, Brown's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Michael J. Brown | 79.24% | |
| Source: Arizona Secretary of State | ||
Kenton Jones was retained in the Arizona Court of Appeals, Jones' seat election with 79.27% of the vote.
| Arizona Court of Appeals, Jones' seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Kenton Jones | 79.27% | |
| Source: Arizona Secretary of State | ||
Michael O. Miller was retained in the Arizona Court of Appeals, Miller's seat election with 78.18% of the vote.
| Arizona Court of Appeals, Miller's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Michael O. Miller | 78.18% | |
| Source: Arizona Secretary of State | ||
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Arizona
Judges are selected by the commission/appointment method. The Arizona Commission on Appellate Court Appointments interviews applicants and sends a list of nominees to the governor. The governor is required by law to appoint from this list based on merit, without regard to party affiliation. An appointed judge then serves for at least two years, after which he or she must stand for retention by voters in order to remain on the bench. If the judge wins the election, he or she serves a full term of six years.[2][3]
Qualifications
Supreme Court
To be qualified to served on the state Supreme Court, a judge must be:
- a state resident for at least 10 years
- licensed to practice law in Arizona for at least 10 years
- less than 70 years old due to a mandatory retirement age of 70.[4]
Court of Appeals
To be qualified to serve on the Court of Appeals bench, a judge must be:
- at least 30 years old;
- of good moral character; and
- a resident of Arizona who has been licensed to practice law in the state for the five years immediately prior to taking office.[5]
State profile
| Demographic data for Arizona | ||
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 6,817,565 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 113,594 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 78.4% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 4.2% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 3% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 4.4% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 30.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 86% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.5% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $50,255 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 21.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Arizona. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Arizona
Arizona voted Republican in six out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Arizona coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Arizona
- United States congressional delegations from Arizona
- Public policy in Arizona
- Endorsers in Arizona
- Arizona fact checks
- More...
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Justices & Judges," accessed September 12, 2016
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Arizona," accessed September 12, 2016
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Judicial Nominating Commissions (Arizona)," archived January 13, 2014, 2014
- ↑ Arizona Judicial Branch, "Supreme Court," accessed September 24, 2014
- ↑ Arizona Courts, "Court of Appeals," accessed May 8, 2015
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Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Arizona • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Arizona
State courts:
Arizona Supreme Court • Arizona Court of Appeals • Arizona Superior Court • Arizona Justice Courts • Arizona Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Arizona • Arizona judicial elections • Judicial selection in Arizona