Maricopa County Superior Court Judge James Beene has been appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One. Beene ‘s appointment was made to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Maurice Portley.
Beene has served on the Maricopa County Superior Court since 2009, where he has presided over criminal, family, and juvenile cases.
Prior to his trial court appointment, Beene worked as Appeals and Extraditions Bureau Chief at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. He also worked in the appellate section of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, served as Chief Counsel of Arizona’s Residential Utility Consumer’s Office, and worked for the Arizona State Senate, as a legislative analyst for the Government Reform Committee.
Judge Beene has served on the Juvenile Justice Commission, as well as the Arizona State Bar’s Criminal Jury Instructions Committee and Committee on Criminal Practice and Procedure. Beene has received the Champions for Children Award from the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program, the Law Angel Award from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, and the Angel in Adoption Award from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.
Beene graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He received his law degree from the University of Arizona College of Law in 1991.