PHOENIX – Today, Governor Katie Hobbs announced the appointment of seven Maricopa County Superior Court Judges.

“On top of their impressive legal experience and qualifications, each of these appointees has demonstrated a deep commitment to public service and to the rule of law,” Governor Hobbs said. “I am confident they will be excellent additions to the bench and will serve the State well.”

The appointees are:

• Michelle Carson - Ms. Carson has served as a Commissioner on the Maricopa County Superior Court since 2018. Prior to that, she served as a senior attorney for the Maricopa County Public Defender (2006-2010) and in private practice as a criminal defense attorney, children’s best interest attorney and guardian ad litem (2010-2018). She served as Judge Pro Tem for the City of Tempe (2014-2017) and the Maricopa County Superior Court (2015-2018).

• Marischa H. Gilla - Ms.Gilla has served as a Commissioner on the Maricopa County Superior Court since 2020. Prior to that, she served in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office from 2006 to 2019, including serving as Bureau Chief of the Family Violence Bureau-East and as a Deputy County Attorney in the Capital Litigation Bureau.

• Melody G. Harmon - Ms. Harmon has served as a Commissioner on the Maricopa County Superior Court since 2018. She currently serves in the Probate Department and previously served as Presiding Commissioner in the Juvenile Department. She started her career practicing employment law, and later gained valuable trial experience at the Maricopa County Public Defender’s office before starting her own private firm in 2009.

• Amy M. Kalman - Ms. Kalman has served as a Commissioner on the Maricopa County Superior Court since 2018. She currently handles a variety of treatment courts, including Drug, DUI, and Mental Health Probation Court. She has also served on the Probate and Mental Health court assignments. Prior to that, she served in the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office as a Capital Defender (2013-2018) and Defender Attorney (2007-2013).

• Steven W. McCarthy - Mr. McCarthy has served as Commissioner on the Maricopa County Superior Court since 2019. Mr. McCarthy is fluent in Spanish and presides over a Spanish-language DUI probation court, in which he regularly communicates with probationers in Spanish and sees extremely high rates of successful completion of probation. Prior to that, he served for over 10 years in the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office.

• Colleen O’Donnell-Smith - Ms. O’Donnell-Smith has served in the Arizona Attorney General’s Office since 1999, including as Unit Chief Counsel for the Protective Services Section (2010-2020) and more recently as Unit Chief Counsel for the Civil and Criminal Litigation and Advice Section.

• Melissa M. Zabor - Ms. Zabor has served as a Commissioner on the Maricopa County Superior Court since 2017. She is currently assigned to the criminal division and also served as the Presiding Commissioner for the Initial Appearance Court. Prior to that, she served in the Maricopa County Office of the Legal Advocate (2008-2017), focusing on criminal felony public defense.

These appointees will fill the vacancies created by the retirement of Judges Laura M. Reckart, Kathleen Mead, and Janice Crawford, the appointment of Judge Daniel J. Kiley to Division One of the Arizona Court of Appeals, and the three seats vacated by Judges Rusty D. Crandell, Stephen M. Hopkins, and Howard D. Sukenic.