President's Page
Steve Sherick
Steve Sherick is a partner in the Tucson firm of Sherick & Bleier, P.L.L.C.Jun 21, 2010
AACJ Is On The Move!
Steve Sherick, AACJ President
Since January, when I began my term as president, there has been a lot of activity throughout AACJ. I would like to take this opportunity to report on some of what has been happening and acknowledge some of our members responsible for those actions.
As most of you know, AACJ members researched and prepared an ethics complaint against Andrew Thomas for actions he took while Maricopa County Attorney. That effort was led by Bob McWhirter, our immediate past president. Bob put in countless hours researching and drafting the complaint while including suggestions from AACJ other members who offered valuable input. We can all be proud of AACJ for leading the defense of our criminal justice system from an overzealous campaign of intimidation against the judiciary.
On the legislative front, for the first time in my memory, there is at least a glimmer of hope for legislative reform. Our members - Jeremy Mussman and Bob Hirsh - have been actively involved at the State legislature, pushing to get some of the best ideas on sentencing reform considered. AACJ’s Legislative Committee, chaired by Jeremy Mussman and David Euchner, will be formulating a strategy for AACJ for the next legislative session. We all must become more active in informing our own legislators of the need to reform Arizona’s more draconian statutory provisions.
AACJ’s Rules Committee, chaired by John Canby, reviewed all the rules petitions potentially impacting our practice and submitted comments on AACJ’s behalf. AACJ supported a change to Rule 8 time limits in capital cases to make those limits better conform to a realistic time frame. We opposed a change to Rule 35.1 that would tighten up requirements to respond to motions which could cause prejudice to our clients in some situations.
The Amicus Committee, chaired by Kevin Wein, filed a brief in the Souza case, asking the Supreme Court to address the Donald issue. Pending at this time are requests to file amicus briefs in a lawsuit opposing SB 1070 (representation by the ACLU and MALDEF) and an important 4th Amendment case AACJ board member Lee Phillips won at the Court of Appeals where the State is petitioning for Supreme Court review.
Our Seminar Committee, co-chaired by Ralph Ellinwood and Kelly Smith, has put on two outstanding seminars. The January seminar brought in some of the best experts in the country on brain science and the impact of brain injuries on the behavior of many of our clients. And the 23rd Annual DUI seminar was rated as one of the best ever by those who attended. The technology seminar, scheduled for September, promises to be outstanding as well.
I am so proud of all we’ve accomplished in the first six months of my term. But, as is often the case, much is accomplished by few. I encourage all members to become involved in AACJ’s good work.