Arizona commission nominates 3 for Supreme Court

As the death-penalty caseload piles up for the Arizona Supreme Court, the justices are looking into using Court of Appeals judges to help get through the cases. Ann Scott Timmer, chief judge of the Arizona Court of Appeals Division One, however, says the court has its own bulging workload to deal with. (Photo by Ryan Cook/RJ Cook Photography)

A state commission is nominating three current judges for appointment to the Arizona Supreme Court.

The Commission on Appellate Court Appointments nominated Court of Appeals Judges Ann Scott Timmer and Diane Johnsen and Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Douglas Rayes.

Gov. Jan Brewer will choose from that list when she makes her third appointment to the five-justice state high court.

Brewer is a Republican, as are Timmer and Rayes. Johnsen is a Democrat. The commission’s list has to include a mix of partisan affiliations.

Timmer and Johnsen have been finalists for previous Supreme Court appointments, including two by Brewer.

The appointment is an important one for a governor. The court has final say over interpreting the Arizona Constitution and also rules on cases ranging from death sentences to elections disputes.