We are fortunate to have Judge McClennen's input regarding why he should be elected. We strongly disagree with the Judicial Performance Commission's recommendation not to retain him, as we have discussed in the post listing Superior Court judges.
Personal Statement of Judge Crane McClennen
In my legal career, I have dedicated myself to public service. Prior to becoming a judge, I served for 21 years as an Assistant Arizona Attorney General working in the Criminal Appeals Division. There I represented the State of Arizona in the state appellate courts, and the federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court.
I have been a judge for 11½ years, having been retained by the voters in 2000 and 2004. I have been on the juvenile court assignment for the last 2 years, and prior to that, I was on the criminal assignment for 6 years, the family court assignment for 2 years, and the civil assignment for 16 months. As a judge of the juvenile court, I have sought to take the necessary amount of time in each case to understand what each juvenile needs, and then do what I can to have the court system provide those services to the juvenile and the juvenile’s family. Many times at the conclusion of the case, the parents have thanked me for what I have done for their family, which I feel that is one of the most rewarding parts of this job. If any of you would like to see for yourself how I conduct myself as a judge, I invite you to come to my courtroom at any time and watch as I handle my daily calendar of cases.
In addition to the time I spend with the cases before me, I have done the following to improve the court system and to provide continuing legal education materials and opportunities to judges and attorneys in Arizona, and have received the following awards and certifications:
Awards and Certifications
· State Bar of Arizona, Outstanding Member, 1995.
· State Bar of Arizona, Outstanding Public Lawyer, 1991.
· State Bar of Arizona, Outstanding Contribution to Continuing Legal Education, 1986 & 1989.
· Founding Fellow, Arizona Bar Foundation.
· Certified Criminal Law Specialist, 1985–present.
Arizona Office of the Courts
· Instructor, New Judge Orientation, 1997–2005
Maricopa County Superior Court
· Chair, Juvenile Court Forms Committee, 2007–present.
· Chair, Juvenile Court New Judge Rotation Training, 2007.
· Chair, Committee To Draft Criminal Department Minute Entry Forms, 2001–2002.
· Chair, Committee To Draft Family Court Rules of Procedure, Maricopa County, 1988–2000.
Continuing Legal Education
· Chair & Speaker, Criminal Year Seminar, 1991–2008
· Chair & Speaker, Year in Evidence Seminar, 1987–2008
Books and Publications:
· Arizona Legal Forms, Criminal Procedure (2005)
· Arizona Courtroom Evidence Manual (3rd Ed. 1997).
· (Co-author) Chapter 4, Criminal Appeals, and Chapter 24, Justice Court Appeals,
Arizona Appellate Handbook (1992).
· Frye, Daubert, and Logerquist: Is Arizona Moving Ahead or Going in Circles? 34 Ariz. St. L.J. 571.
· Custody Under Miranda v. Arizona: Is Arizona Using the Wrong Focus? Arizona Attorney (7/00).
· Rule 404(B) and 404(C): New Definitions; New Tests; and New Rules, Arizona Attorney (6/98).
· Eliminating Appeals From Guilty Pleas: Making the Process More Efficient, Arizona Attorney (11/92).
· Capital Punishment in Arizona: Past, Present, and Future, Arizona Attorney (10/92).
· Admission of Evidence of Other Crimes, Wrongs, or Acts, Arizona Attorney (6/90).
· Impeachment and Rehabilitation of Witness Under Arizona Rules of Evidence, Ariz. Bar J. (6/83).
· Death Penalty Debated, Maricopa Lawyer (4/82).
· Arizona Divorce Law: Time for a Better System, 1970 Law and the Social Order 641.
In the Judicial Performance Review survey, I feel honored to receive high marks from the litigants and witnesses, including a 100% rating for Integrity. Although not reported in this Voter Guide, the Commission did survey Court Staff, and from them I received ratings of 100% for Integrity, 88% for judicial temperament, and 85% for Administrative Performance. It is now, and has always been, my belief that I should seek to improve the court system, and most importantly, serve the litigants and witnesses who appear before me. I have done so for the litigants and witnesses who came before me in the past, and I ask you to retain me in office so that I can continue to do so for litigants and witnesses in the future.
Judge Crane McClennen
2 comments:
Thank you for posting this informative review about these judges - it really helped me feel more informed about my choices regarding the judges. I particularly enjoyed this post regarding McClennen - I hadn't previously understood why the commission gave him a negative rating. Thanks again.
As a Probation Officer, Judge McClennen is no friend to conservative judging. In his court you get a regular diatribe against the War in Iraq, George Bush is bad, and taxpayers are not paying enough taxes to support treatment for juveniles. He is completely soft on crime. He recently allowed a parent of a juvenile to berate two probation officers and threaten them with a gun. His response was NOT to warn or chastise the mother but to remove the probation officers from the case and place a probation officer of a similar race in their place. This is disrespectful and offensive to court employees. It sets the precedence that only minority probation officers can manage minority cases. Of course that does not apply to McClennen as he is a white Judge in a minority case. This type of judge is exactly what citizens should be voting out.
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