Governor Doug Ducey Fills Seven Court Positions During Final Week in Office

Neil Jones

During his final week in office, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) filled several court position vacancies across Arizona, including the Arizona Court of Appeals and the Yuma County Superior Court.

“I am very pleased to announce the appointment of six new judges to the Arizona Court of Appeals,” said Ducey. “These new judges will provide the much needed resources for the Court of Appeals to handle its growing caseload as more and more people choose Arizona as a place to live, work, and start a business.”

The Arizona Court of Appeals has two divisions, the first in Phoenix and the other in Tucson. Previously, Division I had 16 judges, and Division II had six; however, three positions were added to both this year.

As reported by Arizona Public Media, Republican legislators allegedly pushed for the new seats. House Bill 2859, which added the seats, was signed by Ducey in June after passing both the State House and Senate with bipartisan support. State Sen. Vince Leach (R-SaddleBrooke) said the goal was to better prepare the court for a potential increase in cases that were slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some Democrat legislators accused Republicans of trying to pack the court before Ducey leaves office.

As for the picks themselves, for Division I, Ducey first chose Michael S. Catlett, an Arizona State University graduate who serves as the deputy solicitor general with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. Next, Ducey appointed Anni Hill Foster, who served under him as general counsel from 2017 to 2018. During her service, Foster supervised all litigation involving Ducey until being appointed to the Arizona Commission on Access to Justice in 2019. The last appointee for District I is Daniel J. Kiley, who has served as a superior court judge in Maricopa County since 2010.

As for District II, Lacey Stover Gard will take one of the vacancies. She served at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office before being appointed as a judge to the Pinal County Superior Court by Ducey in 2021. Moreover, Michael F. Kelly will join District II, bringing experience from the private Hollingsworth Kelly law firm and Pima County Attorney’s Office. Ducey’s final appointment to the Court of Appeals was Christopher J. O’Neil, who currently serves as a Pinal County Superior Court judge.

“Each of these individuals are exceptionally talented and principled. They will faithfully uphold the law, defend the Constitution, and respect the separation of powers. I am proud to have these judges serve the State of Arizona on the Court of Appeals,” Ducey tweeted after announcing his appointments.

Moreover, Ducey announced Thursday that he was appointing Nathaniel Sorenson to the Yuma County Superior Court. A position in the court opened following the retirement of Judge Brandon Kinsey in December. The governor’s office held interviews for the position at the start of the month. Previously, Sorenson served as a prosecutor for the Yuma County Attorney’s Office and taught as a professor for Arizona State University’s criminal justice program.

“Nathaniel brings extensive prosecutorial and courtroom experience to the Yuma County Superior Court,” said Ducey. “I am very confident in Nathaniel’s ability to serve the residents of Yuma County and the State of Arizona well as a Superior Court Judge.”

As of December 2022 has appointed 97 judges in courts across the state, with these seven newest appointments pushing that number to over 100 during his time in office.

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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Doug Ducey” by Governor Doug Ducey. Background Photo “Yuma County Courthouse” by Ken Lund. CC BY-SA 2.0.

 

 

 

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