Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One Judge — Hon. Michael S. Catlett retention
Source: elections.maricopa.gov
What does this office do?
- Deciding trials in the county
- Ruling on evidence and setting sentences in criminal cases
- Deciding family, probate, and civil disputes
Affects: Public Safety and Crime Control, Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties, Housing Affordability,
Michael S. Catlett
Nonpartisan · Incumbent · Official site
Michael S. Catlett is a judge on the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One, appointed in 2022. He was a deputy solicitor general in the Arizona Attorney General's Office and a business and appeals lawyer in private practice.
Track record
Track record — General
General · 17 records
Freedom Club PAC recommended retaining Catlett in Arizona's 2026 judicial election.
September 27, 2026
Source: azballot.org
Wrote an appellate opinion vacating and remanding a judgment in a legal-malpractice dispute involving a real-estate developer.
July 8, 2026
Source: apps.azcourts.gov
Co-filed a petition to change court rules so a civil case would continue if a representative for a minor or other person unable to represent themselves died.
January 12, 2026
Source: rulesforum.azcourts.gov
Wrote a ruling that a party missed the deadline to request attorney fees after a court entered judgment on its own initiative.
October 27, 2025
Source: coa1.azcourts.gov
Wrote a divided ruling allowing a retrial after finding a mistrial necessary in a criminal case despite the trial court's failure to make that finding.
September 9, 2025
Source: coa1.azcourts.gov
Wrote an opinion holding that a father's death during his parental-rights appeal did not automatically end the appeal and ordered more fact-finding.
April 1, 2025
Source: azcourts.gov
Wrote an opinion requiring courts to review agency fact and law decisions without deference in a disputed Arizona horse-racing license case.
March 18, 2025
Source: azcourts.gov
Wrote an opinion invalidating Flagstaff's lawsuit authorization because its council voted on it in a closed session and did not ratify it in time.
March 4, 2025
Source: azcourts.gov
Wrote a divided-scope ruling that partly blocked a provision of Arizona's campaign-donor disclosure law while leaving the rest in place.
June 27, 2024
Source: azcourts.gov
Submitted a personal comment urging Arizona to preserve the rule that special-action relief is unavailable when an appeal provides an adequate remedy.
May 17, 2024
Source: rulesforum.azcourts.gov
Wrote an opinion distinguishing two insurance policies and preserving a woman's claim under her umbrella policy while finding her auto-policy claim late.
March 21, 2024
Source: azcourts.gov
Wrote an appellate opinion overturning Arizona custody orders for an infant born and living in Ohio because the Arizona court lacked jurisdiction.
December 21, 2023
Source: azcourts.gov
Wrote an appellate opinion setting aside a denial of workers' compensation to a firefighter with cancer and applying a newer statutory presumption.
July 11, 2023
Source: azcourts.gov
Helped handle Arizona's $85 million settlement with Google over alleged deceptive collection of users' location data.
October 4, 2022
Source: azag.gov
Joined Arizona's brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a class-action settlement that sent money to third parties rather than class members.
July 7, 2022
Source: supremecourt.gov
Represented petitioners who won an appellate ruling that an Arizona LLC dissolution suit did not have to be filed in the county of its known business address.
January 22, 2019
Source: azcourts.gov
Represented Salt River Sand and Rock in an appeal over the bond required to pause an $18.4 million judgment.
June 30, 2009
Source: omlaw.com
Track record — Impartiality
Impartiality · 1 favorable
Arizona's judicial review commission found that Catlett met its performance standards for the 2026 retention vote.
April 24, 2026Favorable on Impartiality
Source: jpr.azcourts.gov
Track record — Legal Competence
Legal Competence · 1 favorable
Arizona's judicial review commission found that Catlett met its performance standards for the 2026 retention vote.
April 24, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: jpr.azcourts.gov
Source: apps.azsos.gov