15 candidates are on the ballot. One ballot can carry several appellate seats, and the note below sets out which contest is which. For each judge: the record, any official performance evaluation, and the arguments published for and against them.
Arizona does not choose appellate judges in contested elections. Its appellate judges are merit-selected — nominated by a commission, appointed by the governor — and then face voters only in yes-or-no retention questions, which sit near the end of the ballot. No party label is printed, which is why no party is listed below. A judge is retained by a simple majority of yes votes; a no vote creates a vacancy that the governor fills from a nominating commission's short list, with the new appointee facing a retention vote of their own. Fifteen appellate retention questions are on the November 3, 2026 ballot. In ballot order: Arizona Supreme Court — Justice John R. Lopez IV, voted on by the whole state. Then the Arizona Court of Appeals, which is split in two and voted on only by the counties in each division. Division One (Apache, Coconino, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Yavapai and Yuma counties) — Michael S. Catlett, Anni L. Hill Foster, Randall M. Howe, Andrew M. Jacobs, Daniel J. Kiley, James B. Morse, Jennifer M. Perkins and David Weinzweig. Division Two (Cochise, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Pima, Pinal and Santa Cruz counties) — Sean Brearcliffe, Karl C. Eppich, Lacey Stover Gard, Michael F. Kelly, Christopher J. O'Neil and Jeffrey L. Sklar. Arizona is one of the few states that runs an official judicial performance evaluation: the Commission on Judicial Performance Review surveys the litigants, witnesses, victims, jurors, court staff and lawyers who dealt with each judge, takes public comment at hearings, and reviews disciplinary records, recordings of proceedings, opinions and orders, and case-management statistics before voting on whether each judge meets its standards. Ahead of this election the commission reviewed 84 judges and one Supreme Court justice and found that every one of them met its standards. Names taken from the Arizona Judicial Branch's own 2026 retention roster; note that KTAR News reported sixteen Court of Appeals judges on the ballot, while the official roster lists the fourteen named above.
15 candidates · ballot order · John R. Lopez IV currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Nothing documented in the sources reviewed.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Justice, Arizona Supreme Court, appointed in 2016 by Governor Doug Ducey.
Solicitor General of Arizona before his appointment; previously an assistant United States attorney.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review found that he meets its performance standards, as it did for every judge on the 2026 general election ballot.
Arizona Supreme Court justices serve six-year terms between retention votes.
A justice is retained by a simple majority of yes votes; a no vote creates a vacancy filled by the governor from a nominating commission's short list.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised campaign either for or against Lopez's retention was found, and no judicial conduct finding against him was found. Searched: the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Arizona Capitol Times, the Arizona Republic, KTAR News and Bolts.
The per-judge survey scores behind the commission's vote are published individually at jpr.azcourts.gov; his individual score sheet was not retrieved during research, only the commission's overall finding.
No independent analysis of his published opinions was found.
Listed on the Arizona Judicial Branch's official roster of judges eligible for retention at the 2026 general election.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the state body created to evaluate merit-selected judges, found that every judge on the 2026 general election ballot met its standards. The commission surveys litigants, witnesses, victims, jurors, court staff and attorneys who appeared before each judge, takes public comment, and reviews disciplinary records, recordings of proceedings, written opinions and orders, and case-management statistics.
Arizona Court of Appeals judges serve six-year terms between retention votes.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised campaign for or against this judge's retention was found, and no judicial conduct finding was found. Searched: the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Arizona Capitol Times, the Arizona Republic and KTAR News.
The per-judge survey scores behind the commission's vote are published individually at jpr.azcourts.gov; the individual score sheet for this judge was not retrieved during research, only the commission's overall finding that all judges on the ballot met standards.
No analysis of this judge's published opinions was found.
Listed on the Arizona Judicial Branch's official roster of judges eligible for retention at the 2026 general election.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the state body created to evaluate merit-selected judges, found that every judge on the 2026 general election ballot met its standards. The commission surveys litigants, witnesses, victims, jurors, court staff and attorneys who appeared before each judge, takes public comment, and reviews disciplinary records, recordings of proceedings, written opinions and orders, and case-management statistics.
Arizona Court of Appeals judges serve six-year terms between retention votes.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised campaign for or against this judge's retention was found, and no judicial conduct finding was found. Searched: the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Arizona Capitol Times, the Arizona Republic and KTAR News.
The per-judge survey scores behind the commission's vote are published individually at jpr.azcourts.gov; the individual score sheet for this judge was not retrieved during research, only the commission's overall finding that all judges on the ballot met standards.
No analysis of this judge's published opinions was found.
Listed on the Arizona Judicial Branch's official roster of judges eligible for retention at the 2026 general election.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the state body created to evaluate merit-selected judges, found that every judge on the 2026 general election ballot met its standards. The commission surveys litigants, witnesses, victims, jurors, court staff and attorneys who appeared before each judge, takes public comment, and reviews disciplinary records, recordings of proceedings, written opinions and orders, and case-management statistics.
Arizona Court of Appeals judges serve six-year terms between retention votes.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised campaign for or against this judge's retention was found, and no judicial conduct finding was found. Searched: the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Arizona Capitol Times, the Arizona Republic and KTAR News.
The per-judge survey scores behind the commission's vote are published individually at jpr.azcourts.gov; the individual score sheet for this judge was not retrieved during research, only the commission's overall finding that all judges on the ballot met standards.
No analysis of this judge's published opinions was found.
Listed on the Arizona Judicial Branch's official roster of judges eligible for retention at the 2026 general election.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the state body created to evaluate merit-selected judges, found that every judge on the 2026 general election ballot met its standards. The commission surveys litigants, witnesses, victims, jurors, court staff and attorneys who appeared before each judge, takes public comment, and reviews disciplinary records, recordings of proceedings, written opinions and orders, and case-management statistics.
Arizona Court of Appeals judges serve six-year terms between retention votes.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised campaign for or against this judge's retention was found, and no judicial conduct finding was found. Searched: the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Arizona Capitol Times, the Arizona Republic and KTAR News.
The per-judge survey scores behind the commission's vote are published individually at jpr.azcourts.gov; the individual score sheet for this judge was not retrieved during research, only the commission's overall finding that all judges on the ballot met standards.
No analysis of this judge's published opinions was found.
Listed on the Arizona Judicial Branch's official roster of judges eligible for retention at the 2026 general election.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the state body created to evaluate merit-selected judges, found that every judge on the 2026 general election ballot met its standards. The commission surveys litigants, witnesses, victims, jurors, court staff and attorneys who appeared before each judge, takes public comment, and reviews disciplinary records, recordings of proceedings, written opinions and orders, and case-management statistics.
Arizona Court of Appeals judges serve six-year terms between retention votes.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised campaign for or against this judge's retention was found, and no judicial conduct finding was found. Searched: the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Arizona Capitol Times, the Arizona Republic and KTAR News.
The per-judge survey scores behind the commission's vote are published individually at jpr.azcourts.gov; the individual score sheet for this judge was not retrieved during research, only the commission's overall finding that all judges on the ballot met standards.
No analysis of this judge's published opinions was found.
Listed on the Arizona Judicial Branch's official roster of judges eligible for retention at the 2026 general election.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the state body created to evaluate merit-selected judges, found that every judge on the 2026 general election ballot met its standards. The commission surveys litigants, witnesses, victims, jurors, court staff and attorneys who appeared before each judge, takes public comment, and reviews disciplinary records, recordings of proceedings, written opinions and orders, and case-management statistics.
Arizona Court of Appeals judges serve six-year terms between retention votes.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised campaign for or against this judge's retention was found, and no judicial conduct finding was found. Searched: the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Arizona Capitol Times, the Arizona Republic and KTAR News.
The per-judge survey scores behind the commission's vote are published individually at jpr.azcourts.gov; the individual score sheet for this judge was not retrieved during research, only the commission's overall finding that all judges on the ballot met standards.
No analysis of this judge's published opinions was found.
Listed on the Arizona Judicial Branch's official roster of judges eligible for retention at the 2026 general election.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the state body created to evaluate merit-selected judges, found that every judge on the 2026 general election ballot met its standards. The commission surveys litigants, witnesses, victims, jurors, court staff and attorneys who appeared before each judge, takes public comment, and reviews disciplinary records, recordings of proceedings, written opinions and orders, and case-management statistics.
Arizona Court of Appeals judges serve six-year terms between retention votes.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised campaign for or against this judge's retention was found, and no judicial conduct finding was found. Searched: the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Arizona Capitol Times, the Arizona Republic and KTAR News.
The per-judge survey scores behind the commission's vote are published individually at jpr.azcourts.gov; the individual score sheet for this judge was not retrieved during research, only the commission's overall finding that all judges on the ballot met standards.
No analysis of this judge's published opinions was found.
Listed on the Arizona Judicial Branch's official roster of judges eligible for retention at the 2026 general election.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the state body created to evaluate merit-selected judges, found that every judge on the 2026 general election ballot met its standards. The commission surveys litigants, witnesses, victims, jurors, court staff and attorneys who appeared before each judge, takes public comment, and reviews disciplinary records, recordings of proceedings, written opinions and orders, and case-management statistics.
Arizona Court of Appeals judges serve six-year terms between retention votes.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised campaign for or against this judge's retention was found, and no judicial conduct finding was found. Searched: the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Arizona Capitol Times, the Arizona Republic and KTAR News.
The per-judge survey scores behind the commission's vote are published individually at jpr.azcourts.gov; the individual score sheet for this judge was not retrieved during research, only the commission's overall finding that all judges on the ballot met standards.
No analysis of this judge's published opinions was found.
Listed on the Arizona Judicial Branch's official roster of judges eligible for retention at the 2026 general election.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the state body created to evaluate merit-selected judges, found that every judge on the 2026 general election ballot met its standards. The commission surveys litigants, witnesses, victims, jurors, court staff and attorneys who appeared before each judge, takes public comment, and reviews disciplinary records, recordings of proceedings, written opinions and orders, and case-management statistics.
Arizona Court of Appeals judges serve six-year terms between retention votes.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised campaign for or against this judge's retention was found, and no judicial conduct finding was found. Searched: the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Arizona Capitol Times, the Arizona Republic and KTAR News.
The per-judge survey scores behind the commission's vote are published individually at jpr.azcourts.gov; the individual score sheet for this judge was not retrieved during research, only the commission's overall finding that all judges on the ballot met standards.
No analysis of this judge's published opinions was found.
Listed on the Arizona Judicial Branch's official roster of judges eligible for retention at the 2026 general election.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the state body created to evaluate merit-selected judges, found that every judge on the 2026 general election ballot met its standards. The commission surveys litigants, witnesses, victims, jurors, court staff and attorneys who appeared before each judge, takes public comment, and reviews disciplinary records, recordings of proceedings, written opinions and orders, and case-management statistics.
Arizona Court of Appeals judges serve six-year terms between retention votes.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised campaign for or against this judge's retention was found, and no judicial conduct finding was found. Searched: the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Arizona Capitol Times, the Arizona Republic and KTAR News.
The per-judge survey scores behind the commission's vote are published individually at jpr.azcourts.gov; the individual score sheet for this judge was not retrieved during research, only the commission's overall finding that all judges on the ballot met standards.
No analysis of this judge's published opinions was found.
Listed on the Arizona Judicial Branch's official roster of judges eligible for retention at the 2026 general election.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the state body created to evaluate merit-selected judges, found that every judge on the 2026 general election ballot met its standards. The commission surveys litigants, witnesses, victims, jurors, court staff and attorneys who appeared before each judge, takes public comment, and reviews disciplinary records, recordings of proceedings, written opinions and orders, and case-management statistics.
Arizona Court of Appeals judges serve six-year terms between retention votes.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised campaign for or against this judge's retention was found, and no judicial conduct finding was found. Searched: the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Arizona Capitol Times, the Arizona Republic and KTAR News.
The per-judge survey scores behind the commission's vote are published individually at jpr.azcourts.gov; the individual score sheet for this judge was not retrieved during research, only the commission's overall finding that all judges on the ballot met standards.
No analysis of this judge's published opinions was found.
Listed on the Arizona Judicial Branch's official roster of judges eligible for retention at the 2026 general election.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the state body created to evaluate merit-selected judges, found that every judge on the 2026 general election ballot met its standards. The commission surveys litigants, witnesses, victims, jurors, court staff and attorneys who appeared before each judge, takes public comment, and reviews disciplinary records, recordings of proceedings, written opinions and orders, and case-management statistics.
Arizona Court of Appeals judges serve six-year terms between retention votes.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised campaign for or against this judge's retention was found, and no judicial conduct finding was found. Searched: the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Arizona Capitol Times, the Arizona Republic and KTAR News.
The per-judge survey scores behind the commission's vote are published individually at jpr.azcourts.gov; the individual score sheet for this judge was not retrieved during research, only the commission's overall finding that all judges on the ballot met standards.
No analysis of this judge's published opinions was found.
Listed on the Arizona Judicial Branch's official roster of judges eligible for retention at the 2026 general election.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the state body created to evaluate merit-selected judges, found that every judge on the 2026 general election ballot met its standards. The commission surveys litigants, witnesses, victims, jurors, court staff and attorneys who appeared before each judge, takes public comment, and reviews disciplinary records, recordings of proceedings, written opinions and orders, and case-management statistics.
Arizona Court of Appeals judges serve six-year terms between retention votes.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised campaign for or against this judge's retention was found, and no judicial conduct finding was found. Searched: the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Arizona Capitol Times, the Arizona Republic and KTAR News.
The per-judge survey scores behind the commission's vote are published individually at jpr.azcourts.gov; the individual score sheet for this judge was not retrieved during research, only the commission's overall finding that all judges on the ballot met standards.
No analysis of this judge's published opinions was found.
Listed on the Arizona Judicial Branch's official roster of judges eligible for retention at the 2026 general election.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the state body created to evaluate merit-selected judges, found that every judge on the 2026 general election ballot met its standards. The commission surveys litigants, witnesses, victims, jurors, court staff and attorneys who appeared before each judge, takes public comment, and reviews disciplinary records, recordings of proceedings, written opinions and orders, and case-management statistics.
Arizona Court of Appeals judges serve six-year terms between retention votes.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised campaign for or against this judge's retention was found, and no judicial conduct finding was found. Searched: the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Arizona Capitol Times, the Arizona Republic and KTAR News.
The per-judge survey scores behind the commission's vote are published individually at jpr.azcourts.gov; the individual score sheet for this judge was not retrieved during research, only the commission's overall finding that all judges on the ballot met standards.
No analysis of this judge's published opinions was found.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Arizona ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.