Court Opinion

ID: 9797052
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 04:12:05.882333+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:52:29.817422
License: Public Domain

ESPINOSA, Chief Judge,
specially concurring.
¶ 13 I concur in the reasoning and resolution of this exceedingly close case. I write separately only to point out, consistent with my dissent in Bergeron, that Rule 10.2 appears rife with unintended consequences, as exemplified in this case, and that our conclusion, while well supported by the principles of statutory construction, hardly promotes or “ ‘ensure[s] the orderly function of the judicial system.’ ” Fiveash v. Superior Court of Ariz., 156 Ariz. 422, 425, 752 P.2d 511, 514 (App.1988), quoting State v. Perkins, 141 Ariz. 278, 286, 686 P.2d 1248, 1256 (1984), overruled on other grounds, State v. Noble, 152 Ariz. 284, 731 P.2d 1228 (1987) (noting Arizona among minority of states permitting peremptory change of judge in criminal proceedings and holding that defendant who withdrew from guilty plea was not entitled to additional change of judge to whom case was reassigned).