KINGMAN – When the Honorable Judge Lee Jantzen entered his Mohave County Superior Courtroom to take the bench a final time late in the afternoon on April 30, he humbly greeted more than three dozen people who showed up to witness his transition to retirement. Family, friends and all sectors of the local legal community were present as Jantzen offered one of his signature sports-based, homespun one-liners.
“Bear Bryant died 28 days after he retired,” Jantzen said, as a burst of laughter from the gallery roared over the rest of his sentence.
Jantzen conducted a brief hearing before he left the bench to a standing ovation and thunderous applause.
Jantzen arrived in Kingman 35 summers ago and worked a total of 16 years as a prosecutor (two years in Florida) and 19 years as judge. Court Commissioner Ryan Esplin has assumed Jantzen’s criminal calendar and caseload, and Jantzen plans to continue working part-time.
Dave Hawkins
