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Justice Robert Brutinel will retire from the Arizona Supreme Court at the end of October, he announced Tuesday.
His retirement means that Gov. Katie Hobbs will get to appoint his replacement, the first Democrat to appoint a justice to the high court in more than 15 years.
Brutinel, who was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court by then-Gov. Jan Brewer in 2010, worked in law for 42 years, 28 of them as a judge, he wrote in his resignation letter to Hobbs.
Brutinel was appointed as Yavapai County Superior Court judge in 1996 by Republican then-Gov. Fife Symington.
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He is set to retire on Oct. 31.
“The decision to leave the court has not been easy and I will greatly miss the Court’s interesting and challenging work and particularly all the wonderful people with whom I have had the pleasure of working,” Brutinel wrote.
It has been a great honor, he wrote, to serve as the court’s chief justice, and to work to improve Arizona’s courts, which he praised as having a reputation for “excellence and innovation.”
Brutinel served as the high court’s chief justice, after being elected for a 5-year term by his fellow justices, from 2019 until current Chief Justice Ann Timmer took the title in July.
Brutinel and Timmer were the only two justices on the court to vote against upholding a controversial near-total abortion ban dating to 1864 when the case came before the court in April.
“During my tenure, I could not have asked for better colleagues and staff at both the Superior Court and the Supreme Court,” he wrote. “I currently work with six outstanding, hardworking, impartial and extremely smart justices and I will miss the intellectual exchange and debate.”
Brutinel also praised court staff for their hard work and dedication to public service.
“Justice Brutinel’s retirement sparks mixed emotions,” Timmer said in a written statement. “He has faithfully served the Judicial Branch of Arizona for almost thirty years. Notably, as Arizona’s 26th Chief Justice, he led the courts through the pandemic, ensuring that the courts operated safely while remaining open to serve Arizonans. The Court is proud of Justice Brutinel and wish him a well-deserved retirement. On a personal note, Justice Brutinel is a dear friend to all of us on the Court, and we will miss his wisdom and wit.”
In his resignation letter, Brutinel wished Hobbs well in her work as governor and in her important task of appointing his replacement.
Supreme Court Justice Scott Bales, the last judge appointed by a Democrat, was placed on the court in 2005 by then-Gov. Janet Napolitano. He retired in 2019.
“I have been extremely blessed to serve the court system and, more broadly, the people of Arizona,” Brutinel wrote. “I leave this position with pride in my service on the courts and great confidence in the future of our judicial system, knowing that the courts are in very good hands. The future of our courts is bright.”
Hobbs will appoint a new justice from a list of candidates submitted to her by the nonpartisan Arizona Commission on Appellate Court Appointments.
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