Photo Caption: Retired Appellate Court judge Shelly Weisberg issues oaths of office during a January, 2023 judicial swear-in ceremony at the Law and Justice Center in Kingman.
MOHAVE COUNTY – Senior Mohave County Superior Court Judge Lee Jantzen is attending his last judicial conference this week in Scottsdale. Jantzen is currently eyeing next April as he intends to retire in 2026, after serving as prosecutor or judge for more than four decades.
Jantzen’s exit will be the first for an aging bench in Mohave County. Superior Court judges Rick Lambert, Rick Williams, Derek Carlisle and Steve Moss, as well as Court Commissioner Billy Sipe will all retire their robes by 2035, many of them much sooner.
Moss, the Presiding Judge, said he is currently aiming to retire in late 2030.
Presiding Judge Steve Moss
Mohave County is also adding two new Court Commissioners this fall and next spring and will partner with the state in adding its 8th Superior Court division.
“In the next five years I think we’re going to have at least five retirements on the bench and we will have an additional five new judicial positions, so 10 new judicial officers over the next five years,” said Moss.
The vacancies are expected to result in some shuffling across the local legal community. Some current Commissioners may apply for Superior Court judicial posts as they are vacated and attorneys across the spectrum can apply for the new Commission or Superior Court Judicial positions, provided they’ve practiced law in Arizona for five years and have at least one year of residency within the county.
Veteran deputy county attorney Jacob Cote is among the cadre of local lawyers interested in ascending the bench.
“I haven’t made that a secret,” Cote said. He said he’s interested in serving as Commissioner or Superior Court Judge and handling civil or criminal cases.
“I just want to serve the community,” Cote said.
Kingman private practice lawyer Reed Weisberg is among other attorneys contemplating bids for the bench.
Moss said judicial recruitment should start next month.
“I believe the solicitations will be posted sometime in July. Interviews will occur in August. I will do my follow up in the first part of September and make an offer sometime in mid-September,” Moss said. He said the first new Commissioner should be working in October with the next taking the bench next April.
Moss said the timeline for establishing the new Superior Court Division is less certain, given the involvement of the state of Arizona and Governor Katie Hobbs.
