VOTE411 Voter Guide

I've worked as a Judge Pro Tem for the Mohave County Superior Court for the last eight years, handling a variety of case types. During my time on the bench, I've served as the Presiding Family Court Judge and Presiding Civil Judge. I've had thousands of cases on my docket and have worked in Kingman, Lake Havasu City, and Bullhead City. I also spearheaded a remote jury project that earned our Court statewide recognition from the Arizona Supreme Court. Prior to being appointed as a judge, I worked as an attorney in private practice and started a successful law firm, representing a variety of individuals and businesses in transactions and litigation. I believe this experience makes me well-qualified. More importantly, I'm passionate about my work and strive to deliver fair, well-reasoned, thoughtful, and just outcomes in every case that comes before me. It's important to me that participants leave the courtroom with a better sense of confidence in our legal system.

I believe the development of AI tools to help self-represented litigants is an application of technology that will greatly assist those who cannot afford legal representation. It will help bridge the language barrier between the untrained public and the legal system and will hopefully make the system more accessible. These tools are on the rise in court systems throughout Arizona and Mohave County should stay on the forefront of this technology. Specifically, the tools being deployed include AI assistance with forms and petitions, self-help tutorials, and direction to appropriate legal resources. I also favor the trend in recent years to allow paraprofessionals to perform certain work, including representation in the courtroom, in family court and other proceedings. This serves an important need and helps fill gaps where litigants may not be able to afford an attorney.

Judges have a variety of resources available to them in making these decisions. First and foremost, I would follow the law and stay within sentencing guidelines, considering appropriate mitigating and aggravating factors. We have these laws to keep citizens safe and secure, and it is not for any judge to disregard them. The professionals who work in our juvenile and adult probation departments provide comprehensive reports that give the court a biographical sketch of the offender and the societal risk of that person. The science behind those reports is generally sound and reliable, but that alone cannot determine sentencing. The views of the victim, the harm done to the victim or society, the offender's history, and likelihood of reoffending are all appropriate considerations in my view.

I'm in the generation between our older, retiring judges, and newer attorneys seeking appointments or election to the bench. Due to the high number of judges who are retiring, or who soon will be, there will be a "brain drain" on our local bench. I've proven myself as a leader and will help bridge this gap between the outgoing and incoming judges. Also, I believe the efforts we have been making to have better public outreach are important to our legal system. Toxic political cycles and misinformation have eroded confidence in the judiciary at an alarming rate. By helping to better educate the public and providing citizens with better insight into what we do as judges, we can help turn this tide and also help foster respect for our shared values, the integrity of our laws, and the institution of our courts.

I have been a prosecutor in Mohave County of over a decade. During that time I have also handled diverse civil cases representing government departments in civil suits, election matters, mental health cases, tax cases and drafted numerous contracts and ordinances. I have a reputation in the legal community as a tough but fair prosecutor with a commitment to the Constitution, the rule of law, and ethical representation. My skills and success in trial have prompted one defense attorney to refer to me as a "silent assassin." I continue to mentor other attorneys in the local legal community and direct an Appellate Moot Court competition team at a local high school. I strive to instill the love that I have for the Constitution and justice in the youth I work with. As a prosecutor, I work diligently to protect my community, to treat everyone with respect and dignity, and to ensure that the law is followed and offenders are held accountable.

Mohave County has many far flung communities. Some of these residents have limited means and yet are forced to drive five hours or more through neighboring states to reach the courthouse for jury duty or to handle their own legal matters. The Superior Court needs to bring the courthouse to these locations periodically by assigning judges to hold hearings on superior court matters in the outlying communities. Further, a veterans treatment court is needed in the Superior Court for veterans on probation for low level felony offenses to reconnect them with Veterans Administration services and treatment. We have seen in the Kingman Municipal Veterans Treatment Court that this type of program has drastically reduced recidivism among veteran participants and helped may to return to productive and healthy lifestyles.

I would follow the Arizona sentencing structure adopted by the legislature in Title 13 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, including weighing any and all available aggravating factors against any mitigating factors to ensure that victims receive justice, offenders receive appropriate consequences, and that future criminal activity is deterred. Accountability for offenders is crucial in determining an appropriate sentence in any given case. I will also explain my reasoning for any sentence imposed so that all interested parties understand that I am not being moved by sympathy for one side or the other, but rather applying legal principles to ensure that justice is served and the rule of law is strengthened. I have faithfully applied these principles as a prosecutor throughout my career and will continue to do so if elected to the Superior Court.

The most pressing issue for the Superior Court in Mohave County is to properly train judicial officers on their duties and ethical responsibilities. Too often while practicing in front of judges in Mohave County, I have witnessed some of them acknowledge an applicable statute or rule and refuse to apply it because it would not work the judge’s desired outcome. This undermines the rule of law and erodes public confidence in the judicial system. In order to address this, more training needs to be done to dissuade judges from abusing their power and placing their personal interests above the law. A judge has to be humble enough to put aside his or her own preferences and follow the law and the Constitution, because the people of Mohave County deserve better. If selected by the people to serve as their next Superior Court Judge, I will do just that. I will remain committed to justice and true to the Constitution.