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2026 State Judicial Elections
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The terms of seventeenArizona intermediate appellate court judges will expire on January 2, 2027. The seventeen seats are up forretention election on November 3, 2026. The filing deadline is September 4, 2026.

Judges with expiring terms

This is a list of the judges who must stand forretention election in 2026 in order to remain on the bench. Judges may choose not to stand for election. The list is subject to change if judges retire or are appointed.

■Samuel A. Thumma
■Andrew Jacobs
■Randall M. Howe
■Paul McMurdie
■James Morse
■Jennifer Perkins
■David Weinzweig
■Michael Catlett
■Anni Hill Foster
■Jeffrey Sklar
■Garye Vasquez
■Karl Eppich
■Sean Brearcliffe
■Lacey Gard
■Michael Kelly
■Christopher O'Neil
■Daniel Kiley

Voting information

See also:Voting in Arizona

Selection

The28 judges of theArizona Court of Appeals are appointed by the governor from a list of names compiled by theArizona Commission on Appellate Court Appointments. The commission is composed of 16 members who serve staggered four-year terms. The membership includes 10 non-attorneys, five attorneys, and the chief justice of the supreme court, who chairs the commission.^[1]

The initial term of a new judge is at least two years, after which the judge stands forretention in an uncontested yes-no election. Subsequent terms last six years.^[2] For more information on these retention elections, visit theArizona judicial elections page.

The court of appeals is divided into two divisions. Nineteen judges are in Division One and are based inPhoenix, Arizona. The other nine judges are in Division Two and are based inTucson, Arizona.^[3]

Qualifications

To serve on this court, a judge must be:

• a state resident;
• licensed to practice law in Arizona for at least five years;
• of good moral character; and,
• at least 30 years old and under the age of 70 (retirement by 70 ismandatory).^[3]

Chief judge

Thechief judge of each division is selected by a peer vote. He or she serves in that capacity for one year.^[4]

Vacancies

If a midterm vacancy occurs on the court, the seat is filled as it normally would be if the vacancy occurred at the end of a judge's term. Potential judges submit applications to theArizona Commission on Appellate Court Appointments, and once the commission has chosen a slate of nominees, thegovernor picks one from that list. After occupying the seat for two years, the newly appointed judge stands forretention in the next general election. The judge then serves a full six-year term if he or she is retained by voters.^[5]

See also

Arizona	Judicial Selection	More Courts
Courts in ArizonaArizona Court of AppealsArizona Supreme CourtArizona intermediate appellate court elections, 2024	Elections:2026 •2025 •2024 •2023 •2022 •2021 •2020 •2019 •2018 •2017Gubernatorial appointmentsJudicial selection in Arizona	Federal courtsState courtsLocal courts

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Arizona Court of Appeals

Footnotes