Scott Bales
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Scott Bales (b. 1956) has been a judge on the Arizona Supreme Court since 2005, when he was picked by Arizona Govenor Janet Napolitano to fill the seat on the court made vacant by the retirement of Charles Jones. In 2008, he was re-elected to the court in a retention election with 77% of the vote; his new term on the court will last for six years (until 2014).[1]
Arizona embraces the Missouri Plan for selecting its Supreme Court judges. In 2005, Napolitano chose Bales for Arizona's high court from a list of three candidates proposed to her by the Arizona Commission on Appellate Court Appointments. The two candidates she passed over were Colin Campbell and Ann Timmer. Of the three, Bales and Campbell were both affiliated with the Democratic Party; newspapers in Arizona noted that the selection of a judge by Napolitano gave her the opportunity to "change the balance on the court" which at the time was 3-2 Republican.[2]
Education and experience
His undergraduate education was at Michigan State University; later, Bales obtained an MA in Economics from Harvard, followed by a law degree from Harvard in 1983. While at Harvard, Bales served on the Board of Editors of the Harvard Law Review. He has been an adjunct professor of law at the University of Arizona. [3]
Bales served as the Solicitor General of Arizona from 1999-2001, and as an Assistant U.S. attorney in Arizona from 1995-1999. He clerked for Sandra Day O'Connor from 1984-1985. [3]
Affiliation with the Democratic Party
Bales is affiliated with the Democratic Party. He served on the steering committee of John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign and is described by the Arizona Republic as being in "the orbit" of Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano: "Napolitano has an orbit - again, highly studded with lawyers: Andy Gordon; Supreme Court Justice Scott Bales; Sam Coppersmith; Beth Schermer; Karen Schroeder; Karen Owens; DuVal; and consultant Barry Dill."[4],[5],[6]
In 2005 when he was under consideration for elevation to the Arizona Supreme Court, the Center for Arizona Policy, a religious organization in the state, opposed his nomination, saying he was "a "Democratic Party activist and a Napolitano crony who has followed her from job to job for years."[7]
External links
- Arizona Supreme Court
- Scott Bales bio as provided by the Arizona Supreme Court
- Scott Bales bio on NNDB
References
- ↑ Arizona 2008 election results
- ↑ Napolitano to tap 1 of 3 finalists for top Arizona court
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Justice W. Scott Bales
- ↑ Arizona Republic, Arizona's political tree: Branching out and taking root, June 1, 2008
- ↑ Stop Gov. Napolitano's Politicization of the Judiciary!, June 8, 2005
- ↑ List of John Kerry's Arizona supporters in 2004
- ↑ Arizona Daily Star, Anti-abortion group tries to foil high-court nominee, June 10, 2005
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