Sherry K. Stephens
Sherry K. Stephens was a judge for the Maricopa County Superior Court in Maricopa County, Arizona. She was appointed to the court in 2001 and was retained on November 3, 2020. Stephens retired from the court on August 31, 2021.[1]
Biography
Stephens received her undergraduate degree in criminal justice in 1977 and her J.D. in 1980 from Arizona State University. Prior to being appointed judge, she was an assistant attorney general with the Attorney General of Arizona, working in the organized crime and fraud section.[2]
Awards and associations
- Past chair, Public lawyers section, Arizona State Bar
- Past volunteer, Volunteer Lawyers Program, Community Legal Services[2]
Elections
2020
Maricopa County Superior Court, Sherry K. Stephens's seat
Sherry K. Stephens was retained to the Maricopa County Superior Court on November 3, 2020 with 74.2% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
74.2
|
931,260 | ||
No |
25.8
|
323,339 | |||
Total Votes |
1,254,599 | ||||
|
|
2016
Arizona held elections for 80 superior court judgeships on November 8, 2016. Sixty-three of those seats were up for retention election. Three counties—Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal—use retention elections for their superior courts.[3]
| Maricopa County Superior Court, Sherry K. Stephens Retention Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
 Sherry K. Stephens | 73.30% | |
| Source: Maricopa County, Arizona, "November 8, 2016 General Election," November 9, 2016 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
2012
Stephens was retained with 73.22 percent of the vote in the general election on November 6, 2012.[4][5]
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Sherry K. Stephens did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Noteworthy cases
Judge Stephens presides over murder trial of Jodi Arias
Judge Sherry K. Stephens presided over the trial of Jodi Arias, who was found guilty of murdering her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander, a Mormon motivational speaker, in 2008. Alexander was shot in the head and stabbed 27 times. His throat was also slit.
Arias admitted to the murder prior to the trial but said that she acted in self-defense. Prosecutors argued that her actions were premeditated. She faced the death penalty after a motion by the defense to remove such a penalty was denied by Stephens.
Arizona is one of only a few states that allows jurors to ask witnesses questions. Arias was asked many questions during the trial. Although details about her relationship with Alexander were revealed, no strong evidence emerged to support her claim of self-defense.[6][7][8]
On May 8, 2013, the jury in the case found Arias guilty of first-degree murder. A mistrial was declared on May 22, 2013, and the jury was dismissed after they failed to reach an agreement on Arias' sentence. On December 2, 2013, a date for a retrial of the sentencing phase was not set. Stephens granted a request to ban live television coverage of the trial. She also banned electronic devices, preventing reporters from tweeting and providing live updates during the trial. Stephens denied other requests, such as moving the trial out of Maricopa County and a request to sequester the jury during the trial. Following a closed hearing on January 13, 2014, Stephens set a new trial for the penalty phase. Attorneys in the case were not allowed to call witnesses or present evidence during the proceeding.[9][10][11][12]
Although jurors were unable to reach an agreement on the penalty to be imposed for Arias, her murder conviction stood.[13]
Parties in the Arias case returned to court for a closed hearing on May 16, 2014, before Stephens. A retrial was originally scheduled for September 8, 2014, but, after being pushed back, jury selection began on September 29, 2014.[14]
On March 5, 2015, Stephens declared a second mistrial after the jury failed to come to a consensus on the sentencing of Arias. This decision removed the death penalty as a sentencing option, leaving either life in prison or life with the possibility of parole after 25 years. Of the 12 jurors, one juror would not agree to the death sentence, which put the jury in a deadlock. Following the trial, the lone juror was criticized by the rest of the jury, and, after her name and information were leaked online, she began receiving death threats.[15][16]
Arias was sentenced on April 13, 2015, to natural life in prison, meaning there was no chance of release.[17]
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Channel 12 News, "Jodi Arias' trial judge retiring after 20 years on bench," August 26, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Judicial Branch of Arizona Maricopa County, "Judge Sherry K. Stephens," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, "JPR Vote Results: Vote Meeting," June 24, 2016
- ↑ Maricopa County, "2012 Unofficial Election Results"
- ↑ Arizona Courts, "Judicial Performance Evaluations: Retention List 2012"
- ↑ CBS News - Crimesider, "Jodi Arias Trial: Woman charged in ex-boyfriend's murder answers juror questions," March 6, 2013
- ↑ Business Insider, "Meet The 32-Year-Old At The Center Of The Incredibly Salacious Mormon Murder Trial," March 9, 2013
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Jodi Arias, Accused Of Stabbing Ex-Boyfriend 27 Times, Will Face Death Penalty," February 10, 2012
- ↑ CNN.com, "Jury finds Jodi Arias guilty of first-degree murder," May 9, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "Jury deadlocks on life term or death for Jodi Arias; judge declares mistrial in penalty phase," May 23, 2013
- ↑ United Press International, "Jodi Arias retrial to be blocked from TV," December 2, 2013
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Jodi Arias Sentencing Trial Set To Begin March 17," January 13, 2014
- ↑ Fox News, "Jodi Arias appears in closed court hearing ahead of murder case's September sentencing retrial," May 16, 2014
- ↑ USA Today, "Jodi Arias retrial begins: What to expect," September 29, 2014
- ↑ ABC News, "Jodi Arias Trial: Judge Declares Mistrial After Hung Jury," March 5, 2015
- ↑ Washington Post, "The perils of being the juror who did not want Jodi Arias to die," March 17, 2015
- ↑ USA Today, "Jodi Arias sentenced to natural life in prison," April 13, 2015
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
