Rebecca White Berch
Rebecca White Berch was a justice on the Arizona Supreme Court. She retired in September 2015.[1]
She was first appointed to the court in March 2002 by Republican Governor Jane Dee Hull. Berch was elected chief justice by her peers on July 1, 2009 and served as chief justice for five years. She was retained by voters for another six-year term in 2010. Her last term would have expired in January 2017.[2][3] She was succeeded on the supreme court bench by Justice Clint Bolick.
Education
Justice Berch earned her undergraduate degree from Arizona State University in 1976, her master's degree from the same institution in 1990, and her J.D. in 1979 from Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law.[2]
Career
- 2002-September 2015: Justice, Arizona Supreme Court
- 2009-2014: Chief justice
- 1998-2002: Judge, Arizona Court of Appeals, Division I
- 1996-1998: First Assistant Arizona Attorney General
- 1995-1996: Special Counsel to the Arizona Attorney General
- 1994-1995: Director, Legal Writing Program, Arizona State University College of Law
- 1991-1994: Solicitor General of Arizona
- 1985-1991: Director, Legal Writing Program, Arizona State University College of Law
- 1979-1985: Partner, McGroder, Tryon, Heller, Rayes & Berch[2]
Awards and associations
Awards
- Distinguished Achievement Award, Arizona State University College of Law, 2002
- Outstanding Alumnus, Arizona State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 2002
- Professional Achievement and Contributions Award, Arizona Women Lawyers' Association, 2002
- Outstanding Alumnus of the Year Award, Arizona State University College of Law, 1999-2000
- General Appreciation Award, National Association of Attorneys, 1998
- Outstanding Service Award, Arizona Attorney General's Office, 1998
- Distinguished Service Award, Arizona State University College of Law, 1994
- Outstanding Attorney of the Year, Arizona Attorney General's Office, 1992
- Outstanding Service Award, Arizona Attorney General’s Office, 1992
- Outstanding Service Award, Phoenix College, 1974
- Leadership and Service Award, Arizona State University, 1973
Associations
- Co-Vice Chair, Education Committee, U.S. Conference of Chief Justices, 2010-Present
- Co-Vice Chair, Meeting Planning Committee, U.S. Conference of Chief Justices, 2010-Present
- Chair, Education Committee, National Conference of Bar Examiners, 2010-Present
- Council, Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, American Bar Association, 2010-Present
- Council - Executive Committee, Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, American Bar Association, 2010-Present
- Board of Directors, U.S. Conference of Chief Justices, 2009-Present
- Chair, Arizona Commission on Appellate Court Appointments, 2009-Present
- Board of Trustees, National Conference of Bar Examiners, 2009-Present
- Chair, Bar Admissions Committee, Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, American Bar Association, 2007-2010
- Board of Advisors, The Green Bag Almanac and Reader, 2006-Present
- Chair, Probate Rules Committee, 2006-2007
- Chair, Commission on Technology, 2005-2009
- Chair, Maricopa County Trial Court Appointments, 2002-2005
- Member, Committee on Judicial Education and Training, 2002-2004
- Dean, Judicial College of Arizona, 2002-2004
- Liaison, Arizona State Bar Board of Governors, 2002-2003
- Member, Commission on Judicial Conduct, 2001-2002
- Member, Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee, 2000-2001
- Member, Board of Certified Court Reporters, 1999-2002
- Faculty, Judicial College of Arizona, 1999-2004
- Member, Committee on Examinations, 1996-2002
- Member, State Bar Civil Practice (RAJI) Committee, 1992-1995
- Member, Civil Justice Reform Act Advisory Committee, 1992-1994
- Board of Editors, The Journal of the Legal Writing Institute, 1990-2002
- Board of Directors, Homeless Legal Assistance Project, 1990-1999
- Member, Law Society, Arizona State University College of Law, 1987-Present
- Director, Legal Research and Writing Program, Arizona State University College of Law, 1986-1995
- Adjunct Professor, Center for Women’s Studies, Arizona State University, 1985-1986
- Adjunct Professor, Arizona State University College of Law, 1984-1986
- Board of Directors, Arizona State University College of Law Alumni Association, 1982- 1985
- Adjunct Professor, Center for the Study of Justice, Arizona State University, 1980-1982
- Member, Valley Leadership Class XIX
- Member, We the People, Volunteer Judge and Trainer
- Member, Arizona Mock Trial, High School Competitions Judge[2]
Elections
2010
| Arizona Supreme Court, Associate Justice 2010 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
For retention 
|
901,333 | 75.2% | ||
| Against retention | 297,288 | 24.8% | ||
- Click here (scroll to page 13) for 2010 General Election Results from the Arizona Secretary of State.
- Main article: Arizona judicial elections, 2010
Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously voted that Berch meets judicial performance standards. The JPR Commission simply votes if a judge meets or does not meet performance standards based on statistical information and information gathered from the public. The survey is also filled out by those presiding judges, attorneys, and superior court justices who rate the judge based on a five tier system from poor to superior. The percentages shown below indicate what percent of the survey respondents selected superior, very good or satisfactory.[4]
| Summary categories | Presiding Judges | Attorneys | Superior Court Judges |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal Ability | - | 93% | 100% |
| Integrity | 100% | 100% | 98% |
| Communication Skills | 100% | 99% | - |
| Judicial Temperament | 100% | 100% | - |
| Administrative Performance | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Administrative Skills | 100% | - | - |
Political ideology
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.
Berch received a campaign finance score of 0.24, indicating a conservative ideological leaning. This was more conservative than the average score of 0.1 that justices received in Arizona.
The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[5]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Arizona Supreme Court. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Arizona Supreme Court website
- Arizona Judges Review: A Project of Lighthouse Blog and Republicans-Rebecca White Berch
- Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance, Judge White
Footnotes
- ↑ Arizona Capitol Times, "State Supreme Court Justice Rebecca White Berch formally retires," August 31 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Arizona Supreme Court, Rebecca White Berch
- ↑ San Francisco Gate, "Bales picked as next Supreme Court chief justice," October 18, 2013
- ↑ Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance, Judge White
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
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
