Governor Jan Brewer has named two appointees to the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division 1. Judge Samuel A. Thumma has been appointed to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Patrick Irvine, and appellate attorney Randall M. Howe was chosen to replace retired Judge Daniel Barker
Judge Thumma has served on the Maricopa County Superior Court since 2007, during which time he has presided over hundreds of trials and thousands of hearings. Originally appointed to the juvenile court rotation, he has been assigned to the criminal court docket since June 2010. He also has presided over the Lower Court of Appeals, for which he has managed appeals from municipal and justice courts. In 2010, Judge Thumma served in three cases as a Judge Pro Tem for the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division 1.
Prior to his appointment to the Superior Court, Judge Thumma was a Director at the local law firm of Perkins, Coie, Brown & Bain (1993-2007); a Law Clerk for the Arizona Supreme Court (1992-1993); an Associate with the firm of Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C. (1990-1992); and a Law Clerk to United States District Court Judge Hansen (1988-1990).
Judge Thumma is a founding member of the Maricopa County Justice Museum and Learning Center.
Judge Thumma received a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Journalism from Iowa State University (1984), and graduated as a Harry S. Truman Memorial Scholar. He received his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law (1988), and has been licensed to practice in the State of Arizona since 1992.
Mr. Howe has been with the United States Attorney’s Office in Arizona since 2008, and has served as the Deputy Appellate Chief since 2009. In this capacity, he represents the federal government in the U.S. Court of Appeals and supervises criminal and civil appellate matters handled out of the Phoenix and Flagstaff offices.
Earlier, Mr. Howe was with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office (1988-2008), where he served as: Chief Counsel of the Criminal Appeals Section (2001-2008); Appellate Supervisor of the Liability Management Section (1999-2001); and Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Appeals Section (1988-1999). Through these roles, Mr. Howe represented the State of Arizona in courts of multiple levels – and successfully argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 1998, he served as Judge Pro Tem for the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division 1. Prior to his employment with the Attorney General’s Office, Mr. Howe was an Associate with the law firm of Storey & Ross, P.C. (1988).
Mr. Howe graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Arizona State University College of Business (1985), and received his law degree from the ASU School of Law (1988). He has been licensed to practice in Arizona since 1988.