Justice Michael D. Ryan Award for Judicial Excellence

In 1999 the Public Lawyers Section established the Judicial Award of Excellence to honor a judicial officer who demonstrates a dedication and commitment to improving the justice system. In 2012 the award was renamed the "Justice Michael D. Ryan Award for Judicial Excellence" in his honor.

Nominees should have high ideals, personal character and judicial competence. Nominees may be distinguished by: (1) participation in projects focused on improving the quality of justice or the justice system; (2) demonstrating innovation in the performance of their duties; and/or (3) demonstrating an ability to effectively handle complex or unusual trials or appeals. All federal, state and local judicial officers (including judges, commissioners, magistrates, hearing officers and justices of the peace) who have at least five years of judicial experience are eligible.

2013 Recipient

ELIZABETH FINN, Presiding Judge of Glendale City Court, has been a judge for 34 years making her the most senior judge in the State. Judge Finn was one of the first faculty members and a former Dean of New Judge Orientation as well as Dean of the Judicial College of Arizona. Some of the hundreds of grants she has written and performed include $1.5 million in federal funds to Glendale to coordinate multi-agency responses to domestic violence issues. She is a founding member and Past Chair of the Arizona Supreme Court Committee on the Impact of Domestic Violence, the primary author of the first Protective Order Benchbook, chairs the Supreme Court Committee mandating all protective forms since its’ inception, a member of the O’Connor House Avon Project for Women and Justice and is Immediate Past Chair of the Conference of Specialized Court Judges of the American Bar Association. Judge Finn has implemented Glendale’s specialized Mental Health Court, Domestic Violence Treatment Court and her Court participates in Homeless Court as well as Veterans Stand Down. She has presented hundreds of conferences on behalf of the Supreme Court of Arizona and the State Bar of Arizona in the areas of DUI, domestic violence, gender and cultural diversity. Judge Finn is a previous recipient of the State Bar’s James Walsh Outstanding Jurist Award and the Franklin Flaschner Award from the ABA for outstanding limited jurisdiction judge in the nation. 

Previous Recipients

The award has been presented to: