Phoenix City Code Section 2-96 provides that the Judicial Selection Advisory Board shall have the
following powers and duties: (1) To seek out and encourage qualified individuals to apply for the office of
judge of the City Court or the City of Phoenix Ethics Commission. (2) To conduct investigations into the
background and qualifications of candidates for the office of judge of the City Court or for the City of
Phoenix Ethics Commission, including but not limited to the use of questionnaires, personal interviews, and
contacting such individuals and institutions as it deems reasonable to obtain as much background
information on the candidate as possible. (3) To submit its recommendations for candidates for
appointment or reappointment to the office of judge of the City Court or Chief Presiding Judge or to the
City of Phoenix Ethics Commission to the Mayor, who thereafter shall convene the City Council for the
purpose of interviewing all candidates recommended. When making recommendations for judicial office or
for the City of Phoenix Ethics Commission, the Board shall consider the diversity of the City’s population;
however, the primary consideration shall be merit.
The Judicial Selection Advisory Board is composed of the Chief Presiding Judge of the City Court, who shall serve
as a nonvoting member, and nine voting members, consisting of the following: the Presiding Judge of the
Superior Court of Maricopa County or his designee; an appellate court judge to be appointed by the Chief Justice
of the Arizona Supreme Court; a member of the Maricopa County Bar Association who shall reside in the City of
Phoenix and who shall be appointed by the Mayor from among three nominees recommended by the
Association’s Board of Directors; an active member of the State Bar of Arizona who shall reside in the City of
Phoenix and who shall be appointed by the Mayor from among three nominees recommended by the State
Bar’s Board of Governors; and five nonattorney public members who are nominated by the Mayor and who are
residents of the City of Phoenix. The diversity of the City’s population shall be considered when making an
appointment to the Board. None of the public members shall be an employee of the City of Phoenix. Voting
members shall be subject to approval by the City Council. Voting members shall serve a term of three years and
shall be eligible for reappointment for one additional three-year term. The members shall serve without salary
or compensation.