Famous Arizona Judges

William Hubbs Rehnquist (October 1, 1924-September 3, 2005) was an American lawyer, jurist, and a political figure, who served as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. A proponent of a federalism that favored state power, his legacy includes the first limits on Congress's power under the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution since the 1930s. Rehnquist attended the Stanford Law School, where he graduated in the same class as Sandra Day O'Connor, who would later serve alongside him on the Supreme Court. Sandra Day and Rehnquist briefly dated at Stanford. Rehnquist moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he was in private law practice from 1953 to 1969.

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is an American jurist who served as the first female Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. Because of her case-by-case approach to decision making and her relatively moderate political views, she was in many cases the crucial swing vote of the Court for many of her final years on the bench. O'Connor biography

Justice Stanley Feldman, Arizona Supreme Court Justice from 1981 to 2002. Justice Feldman's tenure on the Arizona Supreme Court was one of extraordinary accomplishment.

Hon. Lorna E. Lockwood in 1950 was the first woman in Arizona to serve as a superior court judge. At the time of her appointment, she was an assistant attorney general and the daughter of Alfred C. Lockwood, former Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court.

Hon. Mary M. Schroeder is the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. After receiving her J.D. from the University of Chicago in 1965, she practiced as a trial attorney with the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice and then joined Lewis & Roca in Phoenix in 1971. She was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals in 1975 and served until 1979, when she was nominated by President Jimmy Carter and appointed t the Ninth Circuit. She was elevated to Chief Judge in December of 2000, the first woman to hold that position.

Justice Levi Stewart Udall - 1981-1960- Former Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. In 1946 he was elected to the Arizona Supreme Court, and remained a Justice of that court from 1947 until his death in 1960.

Chief Justice John Noble Goodwin (1824-1887) President Abraham Lincoln appointed Goodwin as Chief Justice of Arizona Territory on March 6, 1863. When Arizona was organized, Goodwin was on August 21, 1863 appointed as the first Governor of the Territory. It fell to him to enter the Territory and formally proclaim its organization at Navajo Springs on December 29, 1863.

Hon. Raul Hector Castro - a Mexican-born United States politician. He served in both elected and non-elected public offices, including Pima County Attorney and Pima County Superior Court Judge. He later became a United States Ambassador and the Governor of Arizona.

Justice V. Ruth McGregor - Current Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court

Judge Walter Craig

Judge Val Cordova

Justice Jack Hayes

Justice Duke Cameron

Judge Warren McCarthy

Judge Eldon McBride

Judge Robert Gottsfield

Hon. Richard N. Roylston

Hon. Robert O. Roylston

We are working to compile our unofficial list of the fifty most famous Judges in Arizona history. We have listed several above, but our list is incomplete. Can you help? If you are familiar with Arizona judicial history, please give us your thoughts on the list and tell us which Judges we have overlooked. Give us a brief description of what made the judges unique and noteworthy and in which cases they distinguished themselves.

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