Ducey Appoints House Chief Clerk, 3 others, as Judges | Government and politics

PHOENIX (AP) – Arizona Governor Doug Ducey called three people to the Maricopa County Superior Court on Friday, including the Arizona House Representative.

Jim Drake has been Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives since 2015 and was previously Deputy Secretary of State from 2009 to early 2015. From 1996 to 2009 he worked as a regular lawyer and in other staff positions for the House of Representatives.

The general manager oversees parliamentary sessions behind the scenes, gives parliamentary advice during the debates and takes care of other legal matters.

Drake holds a law degree from the California Western School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Arizona.

Ashley Villaverde Halvorson and Keith Miller were also appointed judges. The three new judges replace the outgoing judges Roger E. Brodman, Connie Coin Contes and Karen A. Mullins.

Halvorson is currently a partner at Jones Skelton & Hochuli and mainly defends insurance companies in complex litigation. She also handles personal injury and wrongful death cases and has served as a pro tem judge. She earned her law degree and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Arizona State University.

Miller currently serves as a freelance attorney with the Fennemore Craig law firm, practicing on business disputes and before state and local authorities. From 2015 to 2019, he served as Assistant Attorney General in Arizona in the Office’s Federalism Department and then served in the Environmental Enforcement Department as an advisor to the Department of Environmental Quality.

Comments are closed.