Judge Nanette M. Warner
Division 20
Arizona Superior Court in Pima County
Telephone: (520) 740-8045
Facsimile: (520) 740-8313
Staff: Amy Chapman, Law Clerk; Mary Bernal, Official Court Reporter
|
The Honorable Nanette M. Warner received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Arizona in 1973, graduating with Honors and Highest Distinction, with majors in Sociology and Political Science. She graduated from Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC, in 1976 and was admitted to the Arizona State Bar that same year.
Judge Warner returned to Tucson, where she joined the law firm of Miller, Pitt and Feldman, practicing civil litigation and appellate work with an emphasis in complex civil litigation.
Judge Warner was appointed to the Superior Court Bench on December 19, 1985 by Governor Bruce Babbitt. Since her appointment, Judge Warner has served on the Criminal, Civil, Family Law and Juvenile benches. She was assigned to the Juvenile bench from 1992 to February 1999, and May 2000 to May 2001. She served as Pima County Juvenile Court Presiding Judge from January 1994 to January 1997, and from May 2000 to May 2001. Judge Warner served on both the Criminal and Family Law Bench from June 2001 until March 2002. March 2002 to June 2004, Judge Warner served as the Family Law Presiding Judge.
Since June 2004, Judge Warner has been assigned to the Criminal Bench where she presides over the Mental Health Court. The Mental Health Court is a coordinated program by the Superior Court and the public behavioral health system to manage felony cases when the defendant has a serious mental illness. It is the goal of the court to decrease recidivism, increase public protection and increased compliance with treatment plans and probation conditions by defendants.
While Presiding Juvenile Court Judge, Judge Warner was responsible for re-organizing the juvenile court, developing an early intervention program for at-risk youth, and for instituting programs responsive to victims. Judge Warner assisted in drafting of the Juvenile Victims Rights Law. At Pima County Juvenile Court, she oversaw the establishment of the Restitution Accountability Program (RAP) and the Victim/Offender Mediation program. These programs were designed to make juvenile offenders more accountable to crime victims, and to assure payment of restitution by juvenile offenders.
During her tenure at Juvenile Court, Judge Warner devoted her efforts to reform of court processing of abuse and neglect cases. Under her leadership, Pima County Juvenile Court was designated as a "Model Court," by the National Council for Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ). Pima County Juvenile Court has revamped its procedures for handling abuse and neglect cases by establishing a mandatory hearing within seven days of when the children are removed from their home. The process has also included extended family and incorporated mediation processes.
After receiving favorable evaluations and the support of former Chief Justice Thomas Zlaket, the State Legislature enacted statutes making the "Model Court Process" the process for handling all dependency cases statewide. Other states continue to emulate the Pima County Model Court Process.
As a result of her leadership and efforts with the Model Court project and other Juvenile Court matters, Judge Warner was presented with the Award of Judicial Excellence by the American Bar Association. Judicial Division, at the National Conference of State Trial Judges on August 6, 1999, in Atlanta, Georgia. Judge Warner is one of only four state trial judges nationwide to be presented with this award for 1999.
In June 1998, Judge Warner was also awarded the first annual Terry L. Chandler Award for Excellence in the Field of Juvenile Law by the Juvenile Law Section of the Arizona State Bar Association. In May 2001, she was selected as Tucson Greater Leader by the Greater Tucson Leadership. In December 2001, she was selected as a "Woman on the Move" recipient by the YWCA.
Judge Warner was selected as the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce 2006 Women of the Year for her work at Juvenile Court and with Mental Health Court and other community work.
Judge Warner was also appointed as a member to the Ad Hoc Legislative Committee on Child Welfare and designated as the chair of the Subcommittee on Statutory Reform and Legal Processes by Senator Ruth Solomon and Representative Freddy Hershberger. Legislation to revamp abuse and neglect statutes was recommended by the subcommittee, accepted by the Ad Hoc Committee and passed the State Legislature in 1997. The subcommittee recommended further legislation to make additional changes to the abuse and neglect statutes and to institutional "Model Court" processes, which was passed by the 1998 Legislature. The work of the Subcommittee has resulted in changes in adoption and permanent guardianship statutes in 1999.
In addition, Judge Warner served on the steering committee of the Pima County Families for Kids Project from 1993 to 1999. A private-public partnership with Arizona Children's Association and funded by the Kellogg Foundation, this program is directed at placing children in permanent homes who are not returning to their birth families, and to make systemic changes in the child welfare system to place children in early permanent placements.
Last Updated: 11/9/2007 9:17:00 AM |