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Maricopa County attorney applies to fill high court vacancy

A. John Pelander, Andrew Horwitz, Rebecca White Berch, Justice W. Scott Bales
Posted at 8:43 PM, Jan 25, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-25 22:43:04-05

PHOENIX — Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery is among 13 people applying to be on the Arizona Supreme Court.

Montgomery and the others are vying for the seat being vacated by Justice John Pelander. Pelander announced last month he was retiring on March 1 after 10 years on the bench.

Six of the applicants to replace Pelander are already judges with then state court of appeals, while two serve as judges in state court.

Montgomery, a Republican, was elected county attorney during a special election in 2010 and has been re-elected twice since.

Gov. Doug Ducey will appoint Pelander’s replacement, marking his fourth appointment since taking office. Ducey signed legislation expanding the court from five to seven justices in 2016.