Arizona’s chief justice has ordered the reassignment of the presiding judge for the city of Maricopa. This comes after an audit revealed financial irregularities in the city court.
Last month an audit of the city courts found that daily deposits were not regularly made and that cash and checks were held in unsecured areas within the courthouse. As a result, Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch ordered the transfer of administrative control over to the Superior Court in Pinal County.
Now Berch has ordered the presiding judge of the city court, Judge Scott Sulley, be reassigned and not be allowed to perform any duties in the city or justice courts.
In her order, Berch states, the problems are far worse than reported in the audit, saying “financial, recordkeeping and case management systems have broken down and ceased to properly function.”
The order goes on to say that Sulley’s oversight and management of the city and justice courts have been problematic. His reassignment is needed to rebuild the court and restore its proper operations.
In the meantime, interim judicial officers will be appointed to oversee the operations of the city and justice courts in Maricopa.
