Arizona Justice of the Peace Association
Our Mission Statement:
“The Arizona Justice of the Peace Association, for the benefit of its members and the Judicial Branch of Government, seeks the constant improvement and growth of its members through education and fellowship. The association promotes the highest standards of professionalism while protecting the interest and independence of Justice of the Peace Courts in Arizona. It is our responsibility to live up to the charge we have been given. Together, we pledge our solidarity to protect Arizona Courts, to strengthen that which we have been given and to magnify the well regarded reputation of ourselves and others at all times.” "H I S T O R Y"
ARIZONA JUSTICE OF THE PEACE AND CONSTABLE ASSOCIATION It was in the 1940's when the Justices of the Peace and Constables in Arizona met and formed a group and called themselves "ARIZONA JUSTICE OF THE PEACE AND CONSTABLE ASSOCIATION." By the early 1990's, the Association had become very strong not only monetarily but had gained strength in lobbying judicial issues with their state legislators. It was then ruled by the Arizona Supreme Court that there needed to be a separation of powers and that the Justices of the Peace and Constables could no longer co-mingle as an association. Consequently, the association separated immediately dividing the association funds.
ARIZONA JUSTICE COURTS ASSOCIATION
The Justices of the Peace quickly formed a new association, named "ARIZONA JUSTICE COURTS ASSOCIATION." This association established an open policy whereas anybody with the courts could be a member. This association lasted approximately two years when its members realized that court employee issues were different in all the classifications and terminated this association.
ARIZONA JUSTICE OF THE PEACE ASSOCIATION In 1996 a new organization was formed called "ARIZONA JUSTICE OF THE PEACE ASSOCIATION." Membership was limited to Justices of the Peace currently in office. Hon. Sherry Geisler was the first president and the key figure in forming this association and keeping it going. Other than the bylaw changes in 2004 adding Magistrates and Protems and making officially retired justices honorary members, the association is as it stands today.
2019 Conference Schedule, Materials and Bios
Please note: Class Materials will not be printed this year. They are available as links which you may download to your device. Links are available below the class description on this page. Additionally, for the link to presenter Bio's, click here.
TUESDAY, 9/3/19
3-6 p.m. Registration
5-7 p.m. President’s Reception
WEDNESDAY, 9/4/19
9-9:30 a.m. Opening/Presentation of Colors/Awards & Announcements
9:30-10:30 a.m. The Road Ahead: Chief Justice Robert Brutinel (Plenary Session)
10:30-10:45 a.m. BREAK
10:45 a.m.-Noon Working Smarter Together: Practical tips on team- building and communication within and across our jurisdictions and communities. (Plenary Session)
Noon – 1 p.m. Lunch
1-2 p.m. Hot Topics for Judges: A panel discussion regarding current events that affect our justices of the peace and magistrates, from elections and retentions to consolidation, the closing of courts, specialty courts, and the question as to whether or not justices can hear cases from other jurisdictions.
Presenters: Hon. Don Taylor, Hon. Adam Watters,
Hon. Elizabeth Finn, Hon. Dorothy Little
Class Materials: Montgomery, Penzone
Performance Reviews: This session will focus on the purpose and fundamentals of an Employee Performance Management System, and participants will be encouraged to compare their current system to those fundamentals. Participants will learn the process of aligning the individual performance goals with organizational objectives. Further discussions will include the rater biases that unintentionally creep into Employee Performance Management reviews, which can cause legal concerns. Finally, there will be an open discussion on the usefulness of annual performance evaluations, and potential alternatives.
Class Materials: Slides
Presenter: Donna Brown
When the Public Comes Calling: How do we handle records requests? What needs to be redacted? What can be shared, and what can’t? What are best practices to ensure efficiency, accuracy, and compliance?
Presenters: Jennifer Albright, Aaron Nash
Class Materials: Slides, Handouts
2-2:15 p.m. BREAK
2:15-3:15 p.m. Time Standards: Different standards are used for small claims filings in Maricopa and Pima counties, and in rural courts. Why, and how do we handle it? We’ll also get a report on a new DUI committee’s study relating to time standards.
Presenters: Hon. Keith Russell, Jim Morrow,
Marretta Mathes, Jerry Landau
Class Materials: Handout
Compliance with Law, with AOC Assistance: We want to keep everyone happy, so what are the best ways to deal with requests, new rules, and procedures? How do we deal most effectively with questions and policies?
Presenters: David Withey, Paul Julien and
Don Jacobson
Class Materials: Handout, Slides, Links
Interpreting Challenges: What are the requirements for interpreters in our courts? How do we hire, train, and retain credentialed interpreters? How do we comply, particularly in our rural courts, and provide the best possible service to our clients?
Presenters: Hon. Anna Huberman, Dave Svoboda
Class Materials: Handout 1, Handout 2, Handout 3,
Handout 4, Handout 5, Handout 6, Handout 7,
3:15-3:30 p.m. BREAK
3:30-4:30 p.m. Effective Court Responses for People Suffering from Mental Illness. The vast majority of persons with mental illness first come into contact with the criminal Justice system in justice and municipal courts. This session will provide an update on the work of the Statewide Committee on Mental Health in the Justice System, including proposals for legislative consideration and details about current and potential future areas or work. The update will also include information on the latest AOC efforts to encourage better coordination around mental health issues at the local level, and time for Q&A.
Preseenter: Kent Batty
Class Materials: Handout, Slides
What’s New and Improved about AJACS?: Most of our courts utilize AJACS for our case-management system, and this session will share updates and changes, take a look at special tricks, and provide the opportunity to ask questions and provide input.
Presenter: Adele May
Surviving Operational Reviews: Record keeping and case-processing deficiencies in a court’s operations can hamper the daily function of the court. Operational reviews are performed by the Administrative Office of the Courts. Courts are routinely cited for not properly reporting dispositions, lack of financial controls, and non-compliance with the Rules of Court. This class will discuss some of those common findings, what you can do to prevent them, and the Operational Review process.
Presenters: Patrick Scott, Lisa Royal
Class Materials: Handout #1, Handout #2
4:45-5:45 p.m. AZ Magistrates Association Meeting
DINNER ON YOUR OWN
THURSDAY, 9/5/19
9-10 a.m. New Rules and Points to Ponder: This key session offers a running commentary on new and changed legislative requirements, new court rules, new trends. (Plenary Session)
Presenter(s): Hon. James Blake, Paul Julien,
Jerry Landau
Class Materials: Case Law Handout, Case Law Slides,
Legislative Handout, Warrant Bond Slides, Link #1,
10-10:15 a.m BREAK
10:15-11:45 a.m. Criminal Justice Reform: The 2018 Arizona Town Hall spent the better part of the year in a focus on Criminal Justice in Arizona, convening meetings throughout the state with hundreds of Arizonans. In November, the Town Hall process developed, during an intensive three day period, a comprehensive recommendation on the subject. Arizona Town Hall reports very often lead to legislative actions. This session will focus on the Final Report and its highlights, and, importantly, on the Town Hall process which brings together a wide cross-section of citizens to zero in on public policy issues. (Plenary Session)
Presenters: Hon. Patricia Norris, Dave Byers, Amy Love,
Tara Jackson, Rep. Walt Blackman
Class Materials: #1 Community Town Halls Final Report, #2 "Criminal Justice in Arizona” statewide Town Hall
Recommendations Report
11:45-1 p.m. LUNCH
AJPA Board will meet.
1-2 p.m. Distracted Driving Concerns: There’s new legislation and mounting concerns, as we know, and there are model programs, like “Road to Zero”. This session will look at the model and how it may be useful in our courts.
Presenters: Hon. Russ Jones, Hon. Barbara Brown,
Hon. Louis Frank Dominguez
Cameras in Court: With Rule 122.2 as a guide, this session will examine how we deal with this question, our responses, county policies on the actual rule, and model policies, including a helpful “cue card”.
Presenters: David Withey, M.J. Abril, Hon. Kyle Bryson,
Marcus Reinkensmeyer
Class Materials: Handouts
Securing Our Networks: Understanding threats and staying safe on the internet, encrypted messages, common ‘phishIng’ examples.
Presenter: Jared Nishimito
Class Materials: Handout 1, Handout 2
2-2:15 p.m. BREAK
2:15-3:15 p.m. Where we are with Court Security: Advances and updates in protecting our courts, resources, opportunities and best practices.
Presenters: Jennifer Albright, Michael Dzezinski,
Marcus Reinkensmeyer
Class Materials: Handouts, Slides
Risk Assessment/Intimate Partners: The complexities of victim and perpetrator behavior in intimate partner violence cases will be examined, with a discussion of discrete risk markers. An overview will be presented of the Arizona Intimate Partner Risk Assessment Instrument System (APRAIS) currently being adopted across Arizona and elsewhere.
Presenter: Dr. Neil Websdale
Specialty Courts: There’s a comprehensive list of speciality courts that have been developed to provide better services to specific populations. How are they set up, funded, and what results do we see? This session will take a look at a Restitution Court and a Problem Solving Court model.
Presenters: Hon. James Blake, Hon. Kyle Bryson
Class Materials: Slides, Statutes
3:15-3:30 p.m. BREAK
3:30-4:45 p.m. Understanding the New OP/Injunctions Process: There are new requirements governing the issuance of these orders, and we need to understand them and how the process will change. The presenters have agreed to set up a demonstration of the new process (Plenary Session)
Presenters: Hon. Elizabeth Finn, Robert Roll,
Michelle Gillich
Class Materials: Handout
4:45-5 p.m. BREAK
5-7 p.m. A Movie, Burgers, Hot Dogs & More: Gabe Goltz introduces a movie designed to make us think. This plenary session helps satisfy the COJET Ethics credit in a relaxed and informal manner. (Plenary Session)
FRIDAY, 9/6/19
9-11 a.m. What Did You Think?: We discuss the movie we saw and the range of implications that resulted. This is the completion of the COJET Ethics credit. (Plenary Session)
11-11:15 a.m. BREAK
11:15-11:45 a.m. AzJPA Business Meeting
Click here for Presenter Biographies
(You can download Biographies and Class materials to your personal devices from this link. No printed materials will be provided on site.)
Justice of the Peace of the Year; Sherry Geisler Award
Sherry Geisler
Each year a Justice of the Peace is recognized for his or her outstanding service to the Judiciary.
In 2013 the Award name was changed to the Sherry Geisler Award in honor of the late Honorable Sherry Geisler of Round Valley Justice Court.
Judge Geisler began her career as a clerk in 1982 she served as a pro-tem and began her judicial career in 1993. When the association split from the partnership with the constables the Az Justice of the Peace Association was born Judge Geisler was the first association president in 1996. Judge Geisler served on numerous committees for the Arizona Supreme Court including the Judicial ethics commission she served as a mentor judge for many years; she was a true example of the qualities expected for the Justice of the Peace of the year award.
The Honorable Sherry Geisler, Round Valley Justice of the Peace
Honorable Anna Huberman - 2019 Justice of the Peace of the Year
This year’s recipient for the Justice of the Peace of the Year is Judge Anna Huberman from Maricopa County and was first elected to the bench in 2012. Judge Huberman is the first Justice of the Peace for a newly created precinct, the Country Meadows Justice Court. Judge Huberman also serves as the Presiding Judge for the Southwest Regional Court Center.
Judge Huberman serves on numerous committees for the State as well as locally for Maricopa County. She has served on the Judicial Conference Planning Committee in 2017 and 2018. She also serves on the board of the Judicial College of Arizona.
As a member of the Commission of Access to Justice she was appointed by Judge Lawrence Winthrop as the chair of the Limited Jurisdiction Self-Represented Litigants Workgroup and has served in that capacity for over two years. The workgroup has studied and analyzed rule change petitions for eviction actions and made recommendations to the Commission. Additionally, the work group just completed an educational product to increase access to justice for self-represented landlords and tenants. The information produced include information sheets, FAQs. glossary, videos, and forms which are available in both English and Spanish. All of this is accessible through the AOC's webpages and the AZCourtHelp website.
Judge Huberman is a presenter or co-presenter for conferences at both the local and state levels, presenting to court staff and judicial officers on subjects such as eviction actions, language access, Spanish for court staff and interpreting challenges.
Judge Huberman participates in many community activities educating the public on the court system including television/radio in both English and Spanish and also writes articles for newspapers. She volunteers for Make-a-Wish, serving meals to homeless seniors, and educating youth on her judicial position and running for elected office.
Association Officers
Honorable Dorothy Little
President
Honorable John Peck
Vice President
Honorable Michael Skiles
Treasurer
Honorable Cathy Riggs
Secretary
Honorable David Widmaier
Immediate Past President
Honorable Bruce Staggs-Board Member
Honorable Sam Goodman- Board member
Honorable Wyatt Palmer Board member
Honorable David Osterfeld Board member
Honorable Steve Urie Board Member
Honorable Charlene Pesquira Board Member
Honorable Keith Russell Board Member
Board Members not pictured Honorable Barbara Brown, Honorable Donald Roberts, Honorable Russ Jones, Honorable Gary GriffithHonorable Rob Krombeen
IN THE NEWS
In July 2019, Vice Chief Justice Brutinel will transition to the Chief Justice. Each incoming Chief Justice develops and adopts a "Strategic Agenda", for his or her term. Earlier this year Dave Byers, Administrative Director of the Courts invited the "Association" to submit suggestions to be considered.
UPCOMING EVENTS
2019 Conference September 03 through the 6 In PRESCOTT ARIZONA
Annual Business meeting on September 6, 2019 at 11:30A.M.
Governor appoints Justice of the Peace Tim Dickerson to Superior Court in Cochise County
