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Justice Ryan will retire from Arizona's Supreme Court
June 16, 2010
Arizona: Justice Michael D. Ryan (Arizona) has announced his retirement from the Arizona Supreme Court, effective August 6, 2010. He has served on the court for just over eight years, having taken office July 1, 2002. Prior to this service, he served as a judge on the Arizona Court of Appeals, the Maricopa County Superior Court, and also as a Deputy County Attorney in Maricopa. Though he did not provide a specific reason for stepping down, of his retirement he noted, "...I look forward to continuing to serve my community but this will allow me to spend more time with my family as well as allow flexibility to work on various public service projects."[1]
Ryan's replacement will be chosen by Governor Jan Brewer, who will pick one of three names recommended a screening commission. An interesting aspect of this process in Arizona is that only two out of the three candidates selected by the commission for nomination can come from the same political party. Also, the nominee does not need to be confirmed by the Arizona State Senate. This is Brewer's second pick for the court, the first being John Pelander in 2009.[2]
Footnotes
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
