PHOENIX, AZ — On Friday, Governor Doug Ducey announced his appointees to the Maricopa County Superior Court to fill vacancies created by retirements. Glenn Allen, Andrew Russell and Lisa Wahlin will fill vacancies created by the retirements of Judges Arthur T. Anderson, Dawn M. Bergin and John C. Rea.
Kimberly Ortiz was appointed to the Pima County Superior Court to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Paul E. Tang.
Allen has been serving since 2016 as a Commissioner for the Maricopa County Superior Court, where he currently presides over criminal matters. He previously served on the juvenile bench and was in charge of the Family Treatment Court for parents in substance abuse-related dependencies. From 2015 to 2016, he also served as a Judge Pro Tem for the Maricopa County Superior Court. Glenn began his career at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office from 2002 to 2003.
Russell has been serving as Commissioner for the Maricopa County Superior Court since 2014. He currently serves as a Special Assignment Commissioner, in which he covers judge calendars as needed and must be able to adjudicate all types of cases. Prior to being a Commissioner, he practiced commercial and appellate litigation at Kutak Rock, LLP for 8 years. Before that, he worked at Lieberman Dodge Gerding & Anderson, Ltd. and Cavanagh Law Firm.
Wahlin has been serving since 2017 as General Counsel for the Arizona Department of Public Safety, where she provides legal advice on decisions impacting the agency. Previously, she served as General Counsel and Deputy Director for the Arizona State Lottery from 2016 to 2017. From 2015 to 2016, she served as an assistant city attorney for the City of Goodyear, where she provided day-to-day legal advice to various city departments and reviewed city contracts. She also worked in private practice as a civil litigator for 8 years, including at Jones, Skelton & Hochuli and at Ryley, Carlock & Applewhite. During this time, she also served as a Judge Pro Tem for the Maricopa County Superior Court from 2011 to 2014.