A state intermediate appellate court / Established 1959

Court of Appeals of Arizona

Phoenix · An intermediate appellate court in Arizona.

The Court of Appeals of Arizona is an intermediate appellate court in Arizona, the tier between the state's trial courts and the Supreme Court of Arizona. Its judges are chosen by gubernatorial appointment from a nominating commission, followed by retention elections, the same method Arizona uses for its court of last resort. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former.

Judges in history

Currently serving

Merit selection

Selection

6-yr

Term

Current judges

Judge	Since
Philip G. Espinosa	1992
Jon W. Thompson	1995
Joseph W. Howard	1997
John C. Gemmill	2001
Lawrence F. Winthrop	2002
Donn Kessler	2003
Patricia K. Norris	2003
Maurice Portley	2003
Patricia A. Orozco	2004
Diane M. Johnsen	2006
Garye L. Vasquez	2006
Michael J. Brown	2007
Margaret H. Downie	2008
Peter B. Swann	2008
Virginia C. Kelly	2009
Wendell Griffen	2010
Andrew W. Gould	2011
John J. McGuire	2011
Randall M. Howe	2012
Michael O. Miller	2012
Samuel A. Thumma	2012
Kent E. Cattani	2013
Kenton D. Jones	2013

Former judges

Judge	Years
Peter Eckerstrom	2003–2012
Patrick Irvine	2002–2011
G Murray Snow	2002–2008
Daniel A. Barker	2001–2011
Philip L. Hall	2001–2013
James M. Ackerman	2000–2001
Ann A. Scott Timmer	2000–2012
Rebecca White Berch	1998–2002
William Brammer Jr.	1997–2012
Michael D. Ryan	1996–2002
Muriel Jeannette Smith-Florez	1996–2005
Cecil B. Patterson Jr.	1995–2003
Arthur John Pelander	1995–2009
James B. Sult	1995–2006
E G. Noyes Jr.	1992–2002
Eg Noyes Jr.	1992–2003
Sheldon H. Weisberg	1992–2011
William F. Garbarino	1991–2004
Philip E. Toci	1991–2000
John L. Claborne	1989–1995
Susan A. Ehrlich	1989–2008
Jefferson L. Lankford	1989–2006
John F. Taylor	1989–1992
Edward C. Voss	1989–2002
Rudolph J. Gerber	1988–2001
William E. Druke	1987–2003
Noel Fidel	1987–2002
Lloyd Fernandez	1985–1996
Michael Anthony Lacagnina	1985–1995
Joseph M. Livermore	1985–1997
Melvyn T. Shelley	1985–1991
Thomas Brooks	1982–1991
D L. Greer	1982–1989
Thomas C. Kleinschmidt	1982–2000
Bruce E. Meyerson	1982–1986
Robert J. Corcoran	1981–1989
Sarah D. Grant	1981–1999
Ben C. Birdsall	1980–1987
Joe W. Contreras	1979–1996
Sandra Day O'Connor	1979–1981
Thomas Tang	1977–1993
James L. Richmond	1976–1980
Mary Murphy Schroeder	1975–1979
Donald F. Froeb	1974–1988
Gary Kent Nelson	1974–1978
Jack L. Ogg	1973–1985
Williby E. Case	1971–1972
Morris Rozar	1970–1971
William E. Eubank	1969–1992
Levi Ray Haire	1969–1989
Jack D.H. Hays	1969–1987
Lawrence Howard	1969–1992
Eino M. Jacobson	1969–1995
James Cameron	1965–1971
Donald Daughton	1965–1967
Francis J. Donofrio	1965–1981
James D. Hathaway	1965–1997
Herbert F. Krucker	1965–1976
John F. Molloy	1965–1969
Henry S. Stevens	1965–1975
Charles C. Bernstein	1959–1969

How a judge reaches this court. Judges of the Court of Appeals of Arizona are appointed by the governor to 6-year terms and then face yes-or-no retention elections. Selection methods vary by jurisdiction and have changed over time; this page reflects the court’s current method (source: National Center for State Courts). Open any judge to see their tenure and whom they succeeded.

Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project (bulk data); selection method from the National Center for State Courts. Data last verified 2026-06-30. Verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).