ASU law alum named to Arizona Supreme Court

Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Ann Scott Timmer, a 1985 graduate of the College of Law, has been appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court. Timmer, 52, is the fourth woman since statehood to be appointed to the high court.

“Judge Timmer has a record of integrity and achievement in the legal profession, has proven herself as a well-respected and fair-minded jurist on the Arizona Court of Appeals, and will make an excellent addition to our Arizona Supreme Court,” Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said. “I know she will continue to serve Arizona with the kind of distinction that has marked her career over the last three decades.”

While attending the College of Law, Timmer was a Note and Comment Editor for the Arizona State Law Journal, a member of the National Appellate Advocacy Team and a member of, and regional winner for, the National Moot Court Team. She received the American College of Trial Lawyers Medal for Excellence in Advocacy, and was elected to the Order of the Coif and the Order of Barristers. She graduated with magna cum laude honors.

“Given Judge Timmer’s years of dedicated service to the people of Arizona, Gov. Brewer could not have chosen a more qualified person,” said Douglas Sylvester, dean of the  College of Law. “It is gratifying to see ASU alumni regularly reach impressive heights in their careers, and Judge – now Justice – Timmer, in particular, has long been an important member of our close alumni community. We are proud of her for her promotion to this very prestigious position.”

Before her appointment to the court in 2000, Timmer practiced with law firms in Phoenix.  Her practice focused primarily on commercial and employment litigation, and she practiced before state and federal trial and appellate courts, and administrative tribunals. Timmer also tried capital murder cases as a defense attorney and later as a special prosecutor. In 1988, she received commendation from the Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives for outstanding service as legal counsel in the impeachment of former Gov. Evan Mecham. During her time in practice, among other activities, she served as a lawyer representative to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, president of the Maricopa Chapter of the Arizona Women Lawyers Association, and a member of the Volunteer Lawyers Advisory Board, and the boards of directors of Community Legal Services and New Arizona Family, Inc.

Timmer currently participates in many professional and community activities, including the Arizona Foundation for the Handicapped, where she serves as vice-chair, the Arizona Women Lawyers Association, the National Association of Women Judges, where she is a member of the board of directors, the Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal, where she is an executive board member, and the city of Glendale Judicial Selection Advisory Board. She chairs the Arizona Supreme Court’s Committee on Improving Judicial Oversight and Processing of Probate Court Matters, is vice chair of the Court’s Commission on Judicial Education and Training, and is a member of the Court’s Commission on Technology and the Arizona Judicial Council.

Timmer replaces Justice Andrew Hurwitz, who resigned in June after being appointed to the 9th Circuit panel. Brewer noted that Timmer is well-prepared to succeed Hurwitz, saying she “embodies judicial restraint and has demonstrated her commitment to interpreting the law as written, as well as her respect for the doctrine of separation of powers.”