NEWS RELEASE
Phoenix, AZ August 31, 2012
Judge John A. Buttrick, the highest ranking elected Libertarian in the United States, has resigned his position as an Arizona Superior Court Judge to accept a position as a United States Magistrate Judge in the District of Arizona, effective immediately. Judge Buttrick was appointed to the Arizona bench in 2001 by a Republican Governor following stints on the Libertarian National Committee and as Chair of the National Platform Committee in the late 1990s. Buttrick also ran as a Libertarian for Governor of Arizona and for the Arizona House of Representatives in 1994 and 1998 respectively. Following his appointment to the bench, Judge Buttrick was twice retained by the voters in retention election in 2004 and 2008.
The federal court appointment was not made by the President or approved by the United States Senate, Buttrick stressed. “This appointment was made by the District Court Judges in Arizona directly and is for a four year term. While I have enjoyed my service on the state court level I am excited to explore this new opportunity in the federal judiciary. The only downside is that I will be unable to be politically active during my term in office so I will not be involved in LP affairs while still on the bench.”
Contact: Judge John Buttrick
jabuttrick@gmail.com
