Arrowhead Justice of the Peace Phillip Woolbright removed from office for ethics violations
by Sonu Munshi - Jul. 24, 2012 07:03 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
A northwest Valley justice of the peace has been removed from office for ethics violations that brought disrepute to the judicial office.
Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch signed the order this week to immediately remove the Arrowhead judge. Phillip Woolbright will not be able to serve any judicial office or perform any judicial duties in Arizona for five years.
Woolbright oversaw cases from Peoria, Sun City and parts of Glendale.
A state judicial panel this spring recommended removing and barring Woolbright from ever serving as a judicial officer, following an ethics investigation for dodging a court server and other misconduct.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will appoint a replacement until the Nov. 6 general election, county spokeswoman Cari Gerchick said.
Gerchick said that because the removal of a JP is rare, the county is still weighing the short-term appointment process.
The last sitting judge in Arizona to be removed was John Carpenter, an east Phoenix justice of the peace, in 2001.
Removal is uncommon because judges under scrutiny often resign, according to Jennifer Perkins, attorney for the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct. Such was the case when Judge Mike Nelson of Apache County Superior Court resigned in 2003 before the state Supreme Court ruled on his recommended removal.
Woolbright repeatedly appealed the disciplinary action against him.
The latest appeal was for the Supreme Court to reject the recommendation of a seven-member panel assembled by the Commission on Judicial Conduct.
The panel in May had ruled against Woolbright after two days of testimony.
Woolbright told The Arizona Republic on Tuesday that he didn't agree with the high court's decision not to hear his appeal but that he respected it.
"I needed an opportunity to prove I'm an outstanding judicial officer, and they wouldn't let me do that," Woolbright said.
He said he was the victim of political attacks by those who did not like some of his reform ideas, including lowering pensions and reducing salaries for JPs.
Woolbright's annual salary was $103,000. During the nearly one-year investigation, a pro tem judge has filled in at a cost of about $50,000. Woolbright continued to get paid, at times being reassigned or suspended.
The commission began investigating Woolbright after his then-estranged wife obtained an order of protection against him on suspicion of domestic violence.
Woolbright involved his court manager as he tried to avoid being served the court order and initially continued to hear cases involving such orders. The commission also said that Woolbright attempted to abuse his position as a judge by invoking it repeatedly as unsolicited information to law-enforcement authorities, which he denied, and that he sent threatening text messages to his now ex-wife.
Woolbright's attorney, Larry Cohen, had said the misconduct took place during the turmoil of a divorce and did not impact Woolbright's elected post. Cohen noted that a judge later removed Woolbright's children from inclusion in the protective order. Cohen also noted that Woolbright was a fairly inexperienced judge. He was a part-time preacher and businessman elected to the post in 2010.
But the hearing panel said the misconduct was not because of improper or insufficient training and was not limited to an isolated incident.
Woolbright, who still faces criminal charges for violating the order of protection, said he is happy about one outcome: His children are now able to live with him. He maintains his innocence in that case.
Woolbright said he plans to stay active in Arizona politics.
"In five years, who knows, I could be back in judicial office," Woolbright said.
Maricopa County Elections Director Karen Osborne said it's too late for a traditional election to replace Woolbright. Those interested must file as write-in candidates by Sept. 27. The person elected would immediately take office and serve through 2014, she said.