Retired AZ Supreme Court Justice Moeller dies
James Moeller, a retired Arizona Supreme Court Justice who served on the bench for 11 years and took a generation of Phoenix-area attorneys under his wing, has died. He was 85 and died July 16, according to a court spokesman.
Moeller was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court in 1987 by then-Gov. Evan Mecham, and he retired from the bench in 1998. He served as Vice Chief Justice of the Court from 1992 to 1996.
Moeller was appointed to the Court despite a dispute between the nominating committee and Mecham. Mecham wanted a new list of candidates to choose from, one that didn’t include Moeller or the other two options on the shortlist, according to Phoenix Gazette archives.
About a year after his appointment, Moeller described himself as “very conservative” in judicial legislation, but liberal when it came to individual rights and freedoms, according to Gazette archives.
Prior to his Arizona Supreme Court appointment, Moeller was a Maricopa Superior Court judge for 10 years. Following his retirement, he served on the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments and remained active as an arbitrator.
Former clerks remember Moeller as a careful thinker and a lively mentor.
“He was an incredibly generous man — generous with his time, generous with his experience,” said Lee Stein, a Phoenix-based attorney, who clerked for Moeller from 1988 to 1989.
Moeller is survived by his two daughters, three grandsons, and six nieces and nephews. His wife of 45 years, Nancy Moeller, died in 2007.
A visitation will be held Aug. 4 at Messinger Mortuary in Scottsdale.