Bill Montgomery | |
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Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court | |
Assumed office September 6, 2019 | |
Appointed by | Doug Ducey |
Preceded by | Scott Bales |
28th County Attorney of Maricopa County | |
In office November 22,2010 –September 5,2019 | |
Preceded by | Rick Romley (acting) |
Succeeded by | Rachel Mitchell (acting) [1] |
Personal details | |
Born | Lynwood,California,U.S. | March 2,1967
Political party | Republican |
Education | United States Military Academy (BS) Arizona State University,Tempe (JD) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Years of service | 1985–1995 |
Rank | ![]() |
Battles/wars | Gulf War (Iraq) |
William Gerard Montgomery (born March 2,1967) is an American attorney who has been a justice of the Arizona Supreme Court since September 2019. [2] He previously was the County Attorney for Maricopa County,Arizona,from 2010 to 2019.
Montgomery is a West Point graduate and a Gulf War veteran. Commissioned as a second lieutenant,he served six and a half years of active duty in the United States Army,including as a tank commander in the first Gulf War in Iraq,ending his service as a captain. [3] [4]
During Montgomery's tenure,the county attorney's office gained national recognition for its Restitution Specialist and Sex Assault Backlog programs. [5]
While County Attorney,Montgomery called for written protocols to address use of force incidents [6] and served as the Arizona State Director for the National District Attorneys Association. [7]
In August 2019,attorneys for Jodi Arias filed an ethics complaint against Montgomery,claiming he covered up misconduct and harassment by the lead prosecutor on the case. [8] The complaint was later dismissed following a nearly 14-month screening process by the State Bar that found no evidence of any misconduct by Montgomery. [9]
In 2006,Montgomery ran for Arizona Attorney General,losing to incumbent Terry Goddard. [10]
In the 2010 special election to replace Andrew Thomas,who resigned to run for Arizona Attorney General,Montgomery defeated interim county attorney Rick Romley in the Republican primary. [11] Montgomery went on to defeat Libertarian Michael Kielsky in the general election. [12] [13]
Montgomery won election to a full term in 2012 in a rematch against Kielsky. [14] He won re-election again in 2016 against Democrat Diego Rodriguez [15]
In January 2019,Montgomery applied for an appointment to a vacancy in the Arizona Supreme Court. [16] The commission did not pass Montgomery's name to the governor,which is required for a judicial apportionment,citing "concerns over the pattern of misconduct at the Maricopa County Attorney's Office and a lack of relevant professional experience". [17]
In June 2019,Montgomery applied for a second vacancy on the Arizona Supreme Court. [18] This time,after Governor Doug Ducey replaced several members of the state judicial nominating commission, [19] Montgomery's name was sent to the governor,who selected him for the supreme court seat on September 4,2019. [20] Montgomery was sworn into office on September 6,2019. [21] [22]