Gov. Ducey has less than two months to choose between seven Supreme Court nominees to fill the vacancy of Justice Andrew Gould, who stepped down to run for State Attorney General. He was appointed by Gov. Ducey in 2016 and retired last month.

The Commission on Appellate Court Appointment nominees includes five judges and two attorneys.

Vice Chief Justice Anne A. Scott Timmer remains the only woman on the bench since 2015. The list of five out of seven female nominees is likely to change this.

Cynthia J. Bailey was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One, in April 2020. She is a registered Republican. She has served in all three branches of Arizona government.

David J. Euchner is a Pima County public defender and a Libertarian. If selected, Euchner would become the only registered Libertarian on the bench.

Kathryn H. King is a Republican who practices law at a private firm.

Jennifer M. Perkins, a Republican, has served on the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One, since October 2017. She was the Assistant Solicitor General when appointed by Gov. Ducey.

Adele G. Ponce has been a judge at Maricopa County Superior Court since her nomination by Gov. Ducey in 2018. She is also a Republican.

Patricia A. Starr has been a Maricopa County Superior Court judge since 2014. She was a Democrat until 1999 when she registered as an Independent. She would be the second Independent on the bench, along with Justice Clint Bolick.

David D. Weinzweig has been a Court of Appeals judge since 2018. He began his career as a Republican, registered as a Democrat in 2004, and has been an Independent since 2014.

In 2016, the Republican-controlled legislature expanded the court from five justices to seven at Gov. Ducey’s request. This enabled him to appoint five justices to the court, Gould, Bolick, John Lopez, James Beene and Bill Montgomery. Each justice serves for a term of six years.

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This article was published on May 24, 2021 and is reproduced with permission from the Center Square.