Arizona judicial elections, 2014
| Arizona judicial elections, 2014 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Total candidates: | 268 |
| Primary candidates: | 179 |
| General election candidates: | 208 |
| Incumbency | |
| Incumbents: | 154 |
| Incumbent success rate: | 95% |
| Competition - general election | |
| Percent of candidates in contested races: | 32% |
| Percent uncontested: | 35% |
| Percent retention: | 33% |
| Partisan victories | |
Republican 
|
46 |
Democratic 
|
26 |
2015 →
← 2013
|
| Judicial Elections |
|---|
|
| Judicial elections, 2014 |
| Judicial election dates |
| Candidates by state |
| Supreme court elections |
Last updated: November 2014
The Arizona judicial elections featured retention elections for the appellate courts, nonpartisan elections for superior court judges, and partisan elections for justice court judges.
For the first time in 36 years, a judge in Arizona lost a retention election. Additionally, seven incumbents of the justice courts were defeated in partisan elections.
In total, 208 judicial candidates ran in the general election across the state. Sixty-six candidates ran in competitive races, and 73 candidates ran unopposed. Finally, 69 judges stood for retention.
Election dates
- July 28: Filing deadline for candidates seeking election
- August 26: Primary
- September 5: Filing deadline for judges seeking retention
- November 4: General election[1]
In addition to candidate lists, this page includes information about how the state's judicial elections work.
General election: Contested races
(I) denotes incumbent
Coconino County Superior Court, Division 1
- Brent D. Harris, 41.8%
- Jacqueline Hatch (I), 57.9%
Santa Cruz County Superior Court, Division 1
- Mayra Galindo, 44.5%
- Thomas Fink (I), 54.9%
Yuma County Superior Court, Division 3
- John Minore, 44.2%
- Lawrence C. Kenworthy, 55.4%
Yuma County Superior Court, Division 4
- David M. Haws, 69.7%
- Jorge A. Lozano, 30.0%
Apache County Justice Courts, Round Valley Justice Court
- Marsha Gregory, 53.7%
- Roberta Reed, 45.6%
Apache County Justice Courts, St. Johns Justice Court
- Billie G. Hoover, 47.4%
- Butch Gunnels, 51.3%
Cochise County Justice Courts, Precinct 1
- Adam Ambrose, 38.4%
- Eric Nelson, 30.3%
- Jason Lindstrom, 31.0%
Cochise County Justice Courts, Precinct 2
- Alma Vildosola, 63.8%
- George Hoke, 36.1%
Cochise County Justice Courts, Precinct 3
- Bruce Staggs, 45.6%
- C.J. Garan, 10.0%
- Del Thola, 28.2%
- Jacob Kartchner, 0.0%
Cochise County Justice Courts, Precinct 5
- George Nerhan, 20.7%
- Timothy Dickerson, 79.1%
Coconino County Justice Courts, Flagstaff
- Howard Grodman, 72.0%
- Kevin Morrow, 27.5%
Greenlee County Justice Courts, District 2
- Karen Smith (Arizona), 58.6%
- Evan Jernigan, 41.2%
Maricopa County Justice Courts, Downtown
- Jimmie R. Hernandez, 79.6%
- Tyler Nadjara Thornton, 20.4%
Maricopa County Justice Courts, Hassayampa
- Fred R. Scotty, 6.9%
- Geoffrey Jacobs, 31.4%
- Miles M. Keegan, 61.7%
Maricopa County Justice Courts, Kyrene
- Elizabeth Rogers, 43.1%
- John McComish, 45.0%
- Patrick J. Murphy, 11.8%
Maricopa County Justice Courts, Manistee
- Donald Watts, 52.7%
- Teresa Ramirez Lopez, 47.4%
Maricopa County Justice Courts, University Lakes
- Charles V. Boles, 47.9%
- Tyler Kissell, 52.1%
Maricopa County Justice Courts, West Mesa
- Mark Anderson, 56.4%
- Michael S. Martinez, 43.6%
Navajo County Justice Courts, Show Low (Precinct 5)
- Sara Owens, 23.8%
- Stephen E. Price, 76.2%
Pima County Justice Courts, Precinct 1
- Adam Watters, 53.2%
- Robin Auld, 46.7%
Pima County Justice Courts, Precinct 3
- John Peck, 59.3%
- Malin Lewis, 40.4%
Pima County Justice Courts, Precinct 8
- June Pitts, 22.7%
- Susan Bacal, 76.6%
Pinal County Justice Courts, Precinct 1
- Kenneth Contreras, 36.5%
- Tom Shope, 63.4%
Pinal County Justice Courts, Precinct 3
- Eustino "Tino" Tarango III, 48.9%
- Mary Jane Damron, 35.9%
- Gene Wilson, 14.8%
Pinal County Justice Courts, Precinct 5
- Gary Graham, 35.6%
- Nancy Discher, 65.2%
Pinal County Justice Courts, Precinct 8
- Kevin Taylor, 31.0%
- Lyle Riggs, 53.0%
- Julia Gusse, 15.7%
Santa Cruz County Justice Courts, Precinct 1
- Andrew Ibarra, 26.2%
- Emilio Velasquez, 73.3%
Yavapai County Justice Courts, Seligman
- Marcus Jacobson, 22.8%
- Wade H. Simon, 33.9%
- Dominick Sarno, 43.3%
Yuma County Justice Courts, Precinct 2
- Juan Manuel Guerrero, 56.9%
- Malba Alvarez, 43.0%
Retentions
The following judges stood for retention in 2014. In retention elections, the incumbent judge is not being evaluated against an opponent. Rather, he or she simply receives votes of "yes" to retain or "no", do not retain.
Appellate courts
| Court | Judge | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Click the arrows in the column headings to sort columns alphabetically. | ||
| Arizona Court of Appeals | Andrew W. Gould | 77.5% |
| Arizona Court of Appeals | Diane Johnsen | 66.7% |
| Arizona Court of Appeals | Garye Vasquez | 70.4% |
| Arizona Court of Appeals | Patricia Orozco | 75.1% |
| Arizona Court of Appeals | Randall M. Howe | 71.7% |
| Arizona Supreme Court | Robert Brutinel | 73.4% |
| Arizona Court of Appeals | Samuel A. Thumma | 68.1% |
| Arizona Supreme Court | Scott Bales | 73.6% |
Trial courts
General election: Uncontested
The following candidates were elected or re-elected after running unopposed in the general election.
Primary
For candidate lists and results from the judicial primary on August 26, 2014, please see: Arizona judicial primary elections, 2014.
Process
Primary election
Judges of the Arizona Superior Court in counties with populations under 250,000 are chosen in a partisan primary, then face nonpartisan general elections. In counties with populations greater than 250,000 (Maricopa, Pima and Pinal County), superior court judges are appointed and then face retention at the end of their terms.[2]
Candidates for the Arizona Justice Courts participate in primary elections throughout the state.[3]
General election
Candidates that advanced from the partisan primary compete in a nonpartisan general election. Appellate court judges, as well as superior court judges in Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties, stand for retention.[3]
Retention
In counties with populations greater than 250,000--as of 2014, Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties--superior court judges are chosen through a merit selection system. In these counties, judges are appointed by the governor with the help of a selection commission. At the end of their term, the judges remain in office through uncontested retention elections every four years.[2]
County election information
Below are links to the elections websites for each county, where candidate lists, election results, and other information can be found:
- Apache County elections
- Cochise County elections
- Gila County elections
- Graham County elections
- Greenlee County elections
- La Paz County elections
- Maricopa County elections
- Mohave County elections
- Navajo County elections
- Pima County elections
- Pinal County elections
- Santa Cruz County elections
- Yavapai County elections
- Yuma County elections
Noteworthy events
The following articles were current as of the dates listed.
First judge in 36 years to lose retention in ArizonaNovember 13, 2014 | Click for story→ |
|---|---|
| See also: JP Election Brief: 2014 retention report
Arizona judges must receive a majority of "yes" votes in order to be retained. Of the 69 judges up for retention in 2014, one was not retained. Judge Benjamin Norris was the first judge to lose a retention election in the state since 1978. He received a 42.7 percent retention vote.[4] He joined the Maricopa County Superior Court in 2008, and worked in the family court. Norris was one of two state judges who were not recommended for retention by the Judicial Performance Review Commission. On the commission, only three members voted in favor of his retention, while 25 voted that he did not meet the commission's standards.
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "2014 Election Important Dates"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Maricopa County Website, "Judicial Biographies," accessed April 28, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Arizona," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ AZ Central, "Maricopa County Judge Norris voted off the bench," November 5, 2014
- ↑ Judicial Performance Review, "Judicial Report," accessed November 12, 2014
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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
