Arizona court to appoint independent counsel in Montgomery ethics probe
Sep 25, 2019, 7:45 PM
(AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
PHOENIX — The Arizona Supreme Court is appointing an independent Bar counsel to investigate an ethics complaint against former Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery.
The complaint was filed with the State Bar of Arizona on Sept. 3, a day before Gov. Doug Ducey appointed Montgomery to the state Supreme Court.
Attorneys for convicted murderer Jodi Arias have accused Montgomery of covering up misconduct by county prosecutor Juan Martinez.
The complaint details four ethics allegations against Montgomery, including allowing Martinez to write a book about the Arias case before her case was fully adjudicated, according to a report from ABC 15.
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According to the court order filed Wednesday, the chief Bar counsel requested the complaint against Montgomery be assigned to an independent Bar counsel to avoid a conflict of interest.
Montgomery was Ducey’s fifth appointment to the seven-justice court.
Martinez was reassigned from death-penalty cases, his supervisor said Wednesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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