A Pima County Superior Court judge who received a failing grade from the commission that rates judges has decided to quit before voters could say whether he should stay on the bench.

Voters in Maricopa County are on their way to firing the first judge in decades and only the third one since the inception of the merit and retention system.

During the four decades of merit selection for judges in Arizona’s most populous counties, the number of women and minorities serving in judicial positions has increased gradually. The Arizona Judicial Diversity Project was launched in February to maintain this upward trajectory of increasing diversity, which former Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor says results in a better-functioning judiciary.

A newly formed commission for choosing judicial nominees in Pinal County doesn’t meet state constitutional requirements that set the composition of the panel, legal experts say.

The Commission on Judicial Performance Review found itself in a quandary June 27 when it came time to vote on the qualifications of Pinal County Superior Court Judge Janna Vanderpool.

Robes and gavels were a large part of Arizona’s political scene in 2011. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a landmark election law case that came out of the state and agreed to hear SB1070. The state Supreme Court resolved conflicts involving the Independent Redistricting Commission and trial courts were busy with lawsuits contesting cuts to Medicaid and the candidacy of a Mesa woman in the recall election of former Senate President Russell Pearce.

Yellow Sheet Report assistant editor Christian Palmer talks about the proposed changes to judicial merit selection, and why it's so important.

As an advocate for merit selection of judges, Ray Hanna, incoming president of the State Bar of Arizona, has experienced firsthand how the system works.