NEWS RELEASE
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Lorri Montgomery, Communications Manager
The National Center for State Courts
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lmontgomery@ncsc.dni.us
Arizona Judge Chosen for 2005 Rehnquist Award
Williamsburg, VA (Sept. 20, 2004) – Presiding Judge Louraine C. Arkfeld of the Tempe (Arizona) Municipal Court has been named as the recipient of the 2005 William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence by the National Center for State Courts. One of the most prestigious judicial honors in the country, the Rehnquist Award is presented annually to a state court judge who exemplifies the highest level of judicial excellence, integrity, fairness, and professional ethics. Presiding Judge Arkfeld will be presented the award at a ceremony Oct. 27 in the Great Hall of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.
“This award carries special meaning, especially this year with the loss of Chief Justice Rehnquist, because it recognizes achievements and judicial qualities that Chief Justice Rehnquist helped to establish,” said Mary Campbell McQueen, NCSC president. “Judge Arkfeld’s strong leadership style, accomplished judicial abilities, and her highly regarded professional ethics have proven to make a tremendous difference for the courts in Arizona – and for the judiciary as a whole. I had the pleasure of working closely with Judge Arkfeld when I chaired the Lawyer’s Conference of the ABA’s Judicial Division. Judge Arkfeld’s commitment to collaboration was essential to breaking down barriers and finding common ground for success.”
It was Judge Arkfeld’s innovative and respected leadership style that helped turn around a court plagued with problems, McQueen said. In its nomination letter, the City Council of Tempe cited Arkfeld’s work in taking over the Tempe Municipal Court, which had been mired in a crisis that resulted in the removal of the court’s previous presiding judge, as a testament to her professional ethics and integrity. “For the last 11 years, Judge Arkfeld has taken a dysfunctional court and made it one of the best limited jurisdiction courts in the State,” members of the Council said.
The Arizona Supreme Court echoed the City Council’s words: “In her years at Tempe, she has overseen the great metamorphosis of that court and its move from chaos to quality.” The Supreme Court went on to cite Presiding Judge Arkfeld’s “holistic” approach that “focuses not on one part of the system, but on many parts of the whole. She has worked on litigant, operational and accountability issues in the judicial world.”
An example of Presiding Judge Arkfeld’s holistic approach is her emphasis on addressing the needs of Tempe’s special populations through problem-solving courts. Under her leadership, the Tempe Municipal Court established Arizona’s first limited jurisdiction mental health court in response to the number of seriously mentally ill offenders who lacked the services they needed to address their illnesses. Tempe’s approach is being expanded to other jurisdictions. She currently serves on the Maricopa County Commission of Justice System Intervention for the Seriously Mentally Ill.
She also has been lauded for her work in court interpretation, the use of technology to improve court operations, judicial accountability and education, and improvements in the use of jurors. She serves as Chair of the American Bar Association’s Commission on the American Jury Project and just completed her term as Chair of the ABA’s Judicial Division. Presiding Judge Arkfeld joins former Arizona judge B. Michael Dann, who received the Rehnquist Award in 1997.
The National Center for State Courts is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to the state courts. The National Center, founded in 1971 with the encouragement of Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger, provides leadership, research, technology, education, and training to the state courts. The National Center has its headquarters in Williamsburg, Va., and has offices in Arlington, Va., Denver, Co., and Washington, D.C.
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