Yuma County Superior court to hire new court commissioner
A local group of progressive activists are circulating a petition among members of the legal community calling for a woman or minority to be appointed to fill a vacancy on the Yuma County Superior Court bench.
The vacancy was created by the recent retirement of Court Commissioner Kathryn Stocking-Tate and the Yuma County Judicial Selection Committee is holding a public meeting on Jan. 30 to interview the final four candidates for the position.
That meeting, which is open to the public, begins at 10 a.m. in courtroom 3046 at the Yuma County Justice Center. At the conclusion of that meeting, the selection committee will forward the names of their recommended candidates to Yuma County Presiding Judge, David M. Haws for appointment.
The finalists for the position are prosecutor Claudia M. Gonzalez Jimenez, of the Yuma County Attorney’s Office, attorney Eliza B. Johnson, Somerton City Attorney and former Yuma County Superior Court Judge Jorge Lozano, and Justice of the Peace pro tem Darci D. Weede.
The group organizing the campaign, called Yuma Indivisible, is urging those who receive the petition to sign it, saying it is a way to have their voices heard in that upcoming selection process.
They’re concerned that there is not enough diversity among the judges currently on the bench, with group member and facilitator Liz Haskell adding that it’s makeup does not reflect the population of Yuma County.
“The Yuma County Superior Court does not, and historically has not accurately represented the population of Yuma County,” Haskell said. “We now have a chance to use our voices to change that. This will help our court to begin to approach a more representative bench.”
According to Haskell, any Yuma County resident can sign the petition, and that they do not need to be a registered voter.
The Yuma County Superior Court bench currently has six elected judges, a part time judge pro-tem and three appointed court commissioners, who have been hired by the court to help out with a judge’s case load.
While court commissioners are not elected, they have the same powers as a judge to hear court cases and can make legally binding judgements.
“The court, at this time, consists of only one woman, no Hispanics or people of color, and only one Democrat. That is not reflective of our community,” Haskell said. “There are qualified women and Hispanic applicants and we believe the committee should strongly consider those applicants to help balance the Court.”
The selection committee previously met on Jan. 16 to screen all seven of the applicants, which also included attorneys Michael K. Henson and Douglas LaSota and prosecutor Nathaniel T. Sorenson, of the Yuma County Attorney’s Office.
Serving on the selection committee are Arizona Supreme Court Justice Andrew Gould, Appellate Court Judge Maria Elena Cruz, San Luis High School Principal Lucky Arviso, Phil Townsend and Stocking-Tate.
Both Gould and Cruz are also former Yuma County Superior Court judges.
“Superior Court is cognizant of diversity issues and fully embraces the need for a diverse bench. The community is fortunate that such an outstanding and diverse group agreed to serve on the Yuma County Judicial Selection Committee,” Judge Haws said. “. Each member is aware of the needs of the bench and the community and will bring their unique perspectives. I am confident they will make recommendations for a new Court Commissioner considering both qualifications and diversity.”
COVID 19 precautions including social distancing, masks, and sanitizing will be observed at Saturday’s meeting.
Anyone wanting to comment at that meeting can speak in person or by teleconference by calling (720) 740-9638 and entering the access code of 1304782.
If any member of the public would like to send comments or letters regarding any of the candidates to be interviewed, they are asked to send them by email to kschaben@courts. az.gov by close of business on January 29, 2021.
A view-only Zoom link will also be posted with the meeting agenda on the Yuma County website for anyone who wishes to watch the interviews remotely.