Figueroa named associate presiding judge

Pinal County Superior Court Judge Gilberto Figueroa has been appointed as Associate Presiding Judge.

The appointment, ordered by Presiding Judge Robert Carter Olson and Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth V. McGregor, began retroactively on Jan. 1.

“It’s kind of like being vice president,” Figueroa joked. “As Associate Presiding Judge I will serve at the pleasure of Presiding Judge Olson. If Presiding Judge Olson is absent, I will have the power to exercise all duties except for the permanent appointments for commissioners and judges in the Superior Court of Pinal County.”

Governor Jane Dee Hull appointed Figueroa to the Superior Court in Pinal County in 1998 to complete Judge Franklin D Coxon’s term and just prior to starting his first elected term on Jan. 1, 1999. Figueroa was re-elected in 2002 and 2006 and is currently presiding over civil cases.

“The civil bench is very intense, both legally and factually,” Figueroa said. “I now spend often six to ten hours per day reading. It is much more focused.”

Until June 2008 Figueroa was assigned as Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court. He oversaw a complete revamp of the Juvenile Justice System that included construction of a new detention center, which opened in 2006.

“I am proud of what we, and I do mean ‘we,’ accomplished in the time I was assigned to the Juvenile Court,” Figueroa stated. “Everything that was accomplished couldn’t have been done without a complete team effort from the staff in Juvenile Justice to the Board of Supervisors.”

“When you look at the new Juvenile Justice Center, it is truly a school to which a detention facility has been attached. We have more and more kids in detention getting their GEDs. We have good teachers, and the staff have been great role models for the kids. Hopefully I will have the chance to move back into juvenile justice before I leave.”

Sitting in his chambers with case folders stacked high on his desk, the new Associate Presiding Judge looks forward to challenges that await him and his fellow Superior Court judges. Those challenges include an increase in the county’s population and an increase in filings along with a very tough state economy.

“Our civil filings jumped 80 percent in the past two years,” Figueroa stated. “I think Judge William O’Neill and Presiding Judge Olson (both of whom oversee civil cases) would agree that the increase has been somewhat overwhelming.”

Presiding Judge Olson added that while civil cases have increased, criminal case filings have remained level over the past year.

“With an economy like we are living in now, you usually see an increase in criminal filings,” Olson said. “But we are not experiencing that. I don’t know if we will see a rash of filings later in the year. It’s very unusual to see those numbers remain level at this time.”

Olson said he is pleased to have Judge Figueroa join him as a member of the executive committee.

“Our strengths definitely complement each other,” Olson said. “While my strength is in administration, Judge Figueroa’s strength is in judicial matters. We are going to need to combine our talents if we are going to see our way through what could be a very tough financial time for this court. It will come down to wise planning and putting those plans into place.”

Judges Olson and Figueroa have previously served as Pinal County Attorneys. Figueroa served from Jan.1993 to March 1996 and Olson from March 1996 to May 2007. While they share a bond from their time in the same office, the judges are good friends as well.

“It’s kind of ironic how we have switched roles,” Figueroa said. “I was once his boss as County Attorney; now he is my boss.”

“Judge Figueroa convinced me to come over to the Superior Court,” Judge Olson said. “I’m glad he did.”

Submitted photo