Voters Reject Three Arizona Judges in Retention Vote

Unofficial Maricopa County results show Julie Mata, Michael Rassas and Anni Hill Foster narrowly losing their retention races.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Criminal Justice

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a simplified sandstone courthouse facade in the Arizona desert under hard sun, evoking the institutional weight of the state judiciary. — Unofficial Maricopa County results show voters narrowly rejected Superior Court Judges Julie Mata and Michael Rassas and Court of Appeals Judge Anni Hill Foster. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Do you trust Arizona judges enough to keep them on the bench?

Unofficial results show voters narrowly rejected Superior Court Judges Julie Mata and Michael Rassas and Court of Appeals Judge Anni Hill Foster in judicial retention votes. Foster's race may be close enough to trigger an automatic recount under state law.

Why it matters

Arizona voters decide whether judges already on the bench stay, and if judges are not retained, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs will appoint replacements. The narrow margins put the judiciary's makeup in Arizona at stake.

Unofficial results put Mata at 51.3% no, Rassas at 50.6% no and Foster at 50.2% no in Maricopa County. Final certified totals are not yet available, and Foster's race may proceed to an automatic recount.

The players

Katie Hobbs

Katie Hobbs is the Democratic governor of Arizona who would appoint replacements for any judges not retained.

Doug Ducey

Doug Ducey is the former Republican governor of Arizona who appointed Anni Hill Foster to the Court of Appeals in 2022.

The details

Arizona voters decided whether to keep the judges on the bench. Foster was previously the top lawyer for former Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, who appointed her in 2022, and a state review panel found she meets performance standards. Mata allowed a Republican-backed measure limiting diversity, equity and inclusion programs onto the July ballot, and the state Commission on Judicial Conduct dismissed a misconduct complaint against her.

July: Mata allowed a DEI-limiting measure onto the ballot.
2022: Gov. Doug Ducey appointed Anni Hill Foster.
2026: A state commission review found Julie Mata meets standards.
Nov. 9, 2026: Unofficial retention results showed three judges rejected.

Legal Context

Arizona's judicial retention system lets voters decide yes or no on judges already on the bench rather than electing them outright. The three narrow rejections test how that system operates when judges face partisan campaigns over their past rulings and affiliations.

If the judges are not retained, Gov. Katie Hobbs will appoint their replacements, changing who presides over Superior and Appeals Court cases. Voters' decisions directly shape which judges hear criminal and civil matters across Maricopa County.

The takeaway

Judicial retention votes can turn on campaigns over a judge's past rulings and appointing officials, not only on case records. Voters weighing these races benefit from reviewing the official performance evaluations available before casting a ballot.