Michele Reagan finds way to new, lucrative position

Former secretary of state now serves as justice of peace in McDowell Mountain Precinct in Maricopa

Ousted Secretary of State Michele Reagan has found another, more lucrative political position to occupy her time.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors appointed Reagan to the Justice of the Peace position in the McDowell Mountain Precinct in northeast Maricopa County recently. She will serve as a judge, overseeing small-claims and some misdemeanor cases.

It was a position her father, Michael Reagan, has held since 2004. He was most recently elected in November but retired earlier this year — setting the stage for his daughter to take over.

Six people applied for the justice of the peace position. Supervisor Steve Chucri said he nominated Reagan because of her qualifications and glowing recommendations. The board approved her appointment unanimously.

Reagan was the Arizona secretary of state from 2015 to 2019. She was defeated by primary challenger Steve Gaynor last year, and he lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs. Reagan also served as a state lawmaker for 12 years.

“I’m going to do everything in my power to uphold the high standards that the courts have and that the Board of Supervisors have,” Reagan said before she was sworn in. “I’m so thankful for this opportunity, and I’m really excited to get to work.”

What is a justice of the peace?

Reagan is not an attorney, nor does she need to be to serve as a justice of the peace.

The only requirements for justices are that they are registered voters, live in the precinct in which they’re running and be able to read and write in English.

Maricopa County Justice Courts spokesman Scott Davis said the Arizona Office of the Courts requires new judges to attend classes prior to taking the bench. He said Reagan completed those classes and has been filling in as a justice of peace in Pinal County.

Davis said the Maricopa County Justice Court system also offers mentorship programs and additional training for new justices of the peace.

Justice courts are considered limited-jurisdiction courts. They oversee small claims of $10,000 or less, evictions, orders of protection, traffic violations, drunken driving cases and other misdemeanors.

Justices are elected to four-year terms.

Arizona has 88 justice courts, with 26 in Maricopa County.

Justice courts offer high salaries

Many former lawmakers run for justice of the peace after their lawmaking careers are over.

Some have criticized the practice as a wallet-lining maneuver because of the position’s high salary and cushy retirement benefits.

Justice of the peace salaries are set by statute and based on a percentage of the salary of a Superior Court judge.

The lowest-paid justice of the peace in Maricopa County earns $97,094 annually and the highest-paid judge earns $104,562.

As secretary of state, Reagan earned $70,000.

Judges are part of the Elected Officials’ Retirement Plan. Their pension is calculated by multiplying their average monthly salary times 4% times the number of years served.