Hobbs appoints Wade as Pima County Superior Court judge

University of Arizona graduate Nathan Wade will serve as a Pima County Superior Court judge, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced Tuesday. 

Wade, a graduate of the UA’s James E. Rogers School of Law, worked for nine years as a county public defender for Pima and Pinal counties, and served as a court commissioner since July 2023. 

“Nathan Wade has dedicated his entire legal career to serving the State of Arizona,” Hobbs said in a statement. “I am thrilled to appoint him to the Pima County Superior Court where he will continue to serve the people of Arizona and bolster trust in our judicial system.” 

Wade will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Renee T. Bennett last year. 

Hobbs’ office said in his role as a pubic defender, Wade “helped shape a number of statutes” within Arizona’s criminal code and with the Arizona State Bar “helped develop language for Arizona’s rules of criminal procedure.” 

The court has 53 judicial officers who preside over criminal, civil, family law, juvenile and probate cases.

Wade was among eight applicants to fill a spot after Judge Kenneth Lee retired. The public can comment on the remaining candidates through February. 

Applicants must be at least 30 years old, licensed to practice law in Arizona, an Arizona resident for the past five years, and a Pima County resident for the past year. As of the beginning of this year, the annual salary for a Superior Court judge is $190,000.