Trump to nominate Pima County judge for federal bench

President Donald Trump will nominate Pima County Superior Court Judge John Hinderaker to the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, the White House announced Wednesday.

Hinderaker practiced commercial litigation and was a partner at Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP in Tucson before taking the bench in 2018 after an appointment by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey.

The president’s announcement earned praise from Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., whose team worked with the White House to help select Hinderaker for the vacancy.

Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., did not immediately weigh in on Trump’s intent to nominate Hinderaker. McSally has voted with her fellow Republicans on judicial nominations, helping Trump and the GOP transform the federal judiciary with waves of conservative judges whose influence will be felt for generations.

“John Hinderaker brings a wealth of experience to the U.S. District Court as one of the most well-respected professionals in the Arizona legal community,” Sinema said in a written statement. “He has served Arizona with distinction. I am confident he will continue that legacy on the District Court.”

Ducey also lauded Hinderaker, calling him “an excellent judge” committed to public service.

After earning his law degree from the University of Arizona College of Law, Hinderaker served as a law clerk to Judge Raymond T. Terlizzi and Judge John Roll, the former chief federal judge in Arizona who was killed in the 2011 massacre near Tucson at Rep. Gabrielle Gifford’s constituent event.

Carl Tobias, the Williams Chair in Law at the University of Richmond School of Law and an expert on judicial politics on Capitol Hill, noted Hinderaker’s rapid judicial rise.

“He hasn’t been there that long,” Tobias said of Hinderaker’s time on the Superior Court bench. “He probably hasn’t had that many cases … but certainly from his clerking, he would have seen really great district judges in the district court, and that’s really good, valuable experience.”