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Equal Justice Under LawNovember 2014Judicial Branch NewsAccountability Court:Helping Remove Barriers
Vol 8. Issue 11ContentsNovember 2014Features3 Employee Anniversaries4 Accountability Court: HelpingRemove Barriers5 ACM Graduates6 Veterans Day Celebration7 Maricopa County NationalAdoption Day PhotosJudicial Branch NewsThe Judicial Branch News is an online newsletter published by theMedia Relations Department.If you wish to contribute to this newsletter, please send articles,news items, photos or other correspondence to:karra@superiorcourt.maricopa.gov.Contributing WritersDebbie GillilandRichard WoodsGary BridgetTanya LutherProduced by the Media Relations DepartmentMedia Relations DepartmentOld Courthouse 4th Floor125 W. WashingtonPhoenix, AZ 85003Contributing EditorsKaren ArraVincent FunariKelly VailTanya LutherJohnny TseMary ByrnesPg 2
Court NewsEmployee Anniversaries5 YearsDeborah Neild, Help Desk CoordinatorMiguel Quiroz, Judicial Clerk SeniorMichael Rountree, Case Management AdministratorSarah Webster, Judicial Assistant10 YearsAdeyemi Akanbi, Adult Probation OfficerMarla McDevitt, Case AdministratorCandice Werve, Administrative AssistantSuzanne Ogara, Case AdministratorLloyd Weaver, Procurement SpecialistRobert Bridget, PC/LAN TechnicianMario Cordero, Security Officer IIRaquel Enriquez-Outley, Judicial Clerk SeniorJose Ortiz, Juvenile Detention OfficerMichael Watkins, Juvenile Detention OfficerMark Liem, Management Analyst15 YearsTeresa Deanda, Case AdministratorTanya Luther, Administrative AssistantCedric Lamar, Judicial Clerk SupervisorDenise Tavana, Conference Officer,Arthur Anderson, Superior Court JudgeEdna Amodei, Adult Probation OfficerDebra Rubenstein, Justice System ManagerWendy DeCarlo, Juvenile Probation Officer20 YearsLinda Butler, Presentence ScreenerTodd Brown, Adult Probation OfficerWendy Buechler-Matlock, Adult Probation OfficerRaymundo Cruz, Adult Probation Officer SupervisorCheryl Piper, Adult Probation OfficerValerie Lerma, Library Coordinator25 YearsRichard Eggers, Computer OperatorColleen Curran, Adult Probation OfficerJennifer Lennox, Adult Probation Officer SupervisorCynthia Miles, Surveillance OfficerSandra Paquet, Judicial Clerk LeadLisa Collins, Judicial Clerk Supervisor32 YearsCathy Santos, Management Analyst* Information provided by Debbie Gilliland in theHuman Resources Department.Court hires New DeputyProbate AdministratorSuperior Court hired Brittaney Chipley as the newDeputy Court Administrator for the Probate and MentalHealth Court Department.For the last four years, Chipley worked as the caseadministrator and team coordinator for the U.S.Bankruptcy Court in Phoenix. From 2007 to 2010, sheworked at a bankruptcy law firm in Atlanta, GA as alegal specialist and trainer.Chipley graduated Cum Laude from Georgia StateUniversity in 2007 with a B.A. degree in PoliticalScience/Pre-Law and Sociology. She is scheduledto complete her MPA degree, with an emphasis inGovernment and Policy from Grand Canyon University,in February 2015.In her new position, Chipley will be assisting ElainaCano with the management of daily operations in theProbate and Mental Health Court Department.In her spare time, she enjoys outdoor activities, fitnesstraining and watching sports, especially the WashingtonRedskins football team.Submitted by Richard WoodsFarewell to Gary BridgetGary Bridget has accepted the position of HumanResources Director for the Town of Oro Valley, Arizona.Bridget began working for Judicial Branch HR in August2004 as Senior Employee Relations Specialist. He waspromoted to Employee Relations Administrator in 2006and to Assistant HR Director in 2011. Most recently, Bridgetwas assigned to the Marshal’s Office as the DeputyDirector for Administrative Services. He leaves MaricopaCounty with 15 years of service.“I’m excited about this new opportunity, I will miss workingwith the great people that are the Maricopa County JudicialBranch,” Bridget said.Pg 3
Court NewsAccountability Court: Helping Remove BarriersA child support payment is not just a bill; it’s a parent’s number one financialpriority.To make litigants aware of the great importance of paying unpaid child supportand keep them current with their obligations, Superior Court has revampedAccountability Court.“We have found that many parents with delinquent child support obligations wantto pay their child support. However, because of employment barriers, they aresimply unable to do so. The Court determined that a program which assistedparents with those employment barriers would benefit not only those parents, butalso the other parent and the children. The program the Court ultimately developedis our Accountability Court,” Family Court Presiding Judge Janet Barton said.Litigants who are referred to Accountability Court by judicial officers are orderedto appear periodically at court proceedings until they demonstrate a history ofconsistent child support payments. People who fail to comply with their ordersmay be held in contempt of court. Currently, there are more than 350 people in theprogram who owe approximately 16 million.“Accountability Court provides appropriate resources to child support obligorswho are currently unable to pay their support obligations on a consistent monthto-month basis,” Commissioner Roger Hartsell said.Accountability Court is a problem-solving court that offers service and assistanceto its litigants. The court has partnered with various community partners to helpparticipants find employment. They offer such services as resume help and jobsearches and provide items such as work clothing and hygiene products. Followingtheir court date, litigants have the opportunity to visit a mobile job unit providedby St. Joseph the Worker, once a month, parked outside the courthouse. Also,everyone who is enrolled in Accountability Court attends an orientation class thatoffers money management and employment information.“We have made changes to make orientation useful to parents. At orientation, afree class on managing income and expenses is taught by outside organizations,”Deputy Family Court Administrator Brian Bledsoe said. “Parents are often engagedand learn valuable information that may assist them in their daily lives. Everyonecan benefit from a class on managing money.”Litigants referred to Accountability Court differ from those who are sent toEnforcement Court. Those referred to Enforcement Court have the ability to makepayments but are not willing. Accountability Court assists people who are willing topay child support and physically able to do so, but are not fulfilling their obligationin a consistent manner due to an employment issue. The Court helps litigantsin identifying the barriers to compliance and connects them with resources inthe community. The focus is to break down the barriers for litigants so that theyconsistently pay their court ordered child support payments in full and on time.Commissioner Hartsell currently presides over the Accountability Court calendar,which is held on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons.Pg 4
Court NewsInvestiture CeremonyNew Market at SoutheastSuperior Court transformed the old cafeteria at SoutheastCourt into an eatery that uses a revolutionary self-checkoutkiosk.The Avanti Market system, open only to county employees,is a new convenient style store that will provide customerswith a selection of fresh food meal options, snacks and avariety of beverage choices.To use the self-checkout: Simply pick out the items forpurchase; Scan the UPC code (barcode) on the item at thekiosk and pay for the item at the kiosk using a credit or debitcard or an Avanti Keytag. Avanti will provide a supply offree keytags at each locationArizona Supreme Court Justice Ann Scott Timmer deliversthe oath of office to Judge Lori Horn Bustamante at herinvestiture ceremony.Judge Ronan RetiresSubmitted by Tanya LutherACM Graduation CeremonyJudge Emmet J. Ronan has submitted his letter of retirementto Governor Jan Brewer.Judge Ronan, who will be retiring at the end of the year,served as a Superior Court Judge for 15 years.In his retirement letter, Judge Ronan wrote, “I have beenblessed to work in the finest trial court in the United States.The Judicial Officers, Court Administrators, Clerk’s andStaff have a well-deserved reputation around the countryfor their daily commitment to excellence and public service.They have helped make my time on the court one of themost rewarding experiences of my life.”During his judicial career, Judge Ronan served rotationsin the Juvenile, Family, Criminal and Civil Departmentsof the Court. He also served a term as the Juvenile CourtPresiding Judge.“Judge Ronan is widely known for his thoughtful andcompassionate character, his unwavering commitmentto doing the right thing, and his dedication to the rule oflaw. Emmet has mentored many of us over the years, andwill be sorely missed on our bench. I wish him the best inpursuing his retirement plans and hope to see him often inthe future,” Presiding Judge Norman Davis said.Left to right - Jill Siller, Faye White, Paula Collins and AngelaMaddox completed the Arizona Court Manager’s programat the Arizona Supreme Court.Pg 5
Court NewsPhoto Highlights: Maricopa County Veterans Day CelebrationMaricopa County hosted a Veterans Day Celebration in the Board of Supervisors’ Auditorium inPhoenix. Superior Court’s Gary Bridget served as master of ceremonies; Cindy Reid was thekeynote speaker and E. Lamont Leonard, Adult Probation Department, sang the Star SpangledBanner and God Bless America.Cindy Reid is greeted by her colleagues in CourtAdministration following Maricopa County’s Veteran’s DayCelebration.Master of Ceremonies Gary Bridget.Cindy Reid giving her speech to a packed house of MaricopaCounty employees in the Board of Supervisors Auditorium.Cindy Reid (left) and Gary Bridget (right).Pg 6
National Adoption DayNational Adoption Day 2014On Saturday, November 22, three hundred and eleven children were adopted on NationalAdoption Day at Juvenile Court, Durango.Pg 7
Human Resources Department. Superior Court hired Brittaney Chipley as the new Deputy Court Administrator for the Probate and Mental Health Court Department. For the last four years, Chipley worked as the case administrator and team coordinator for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Phoenix. From 2007 to 2010, she worked at a bankruptcy law firm in Atlanta, GA as a legal specialist and trainer .
