Gov. Ducey appoints four judges to Maricopa County Superior Court

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Friday appointed four people to the Maricopa County Superior Court to fill vacancies created by one resignation and three retirements.

Jillian Francis, Charlene Jackson, James Knapp and Sunita Krishna were all named as appointments in a press release issued by the Governor’s office.

Francis has served in the Arizona Attorney General’s Office since 2014 and has worked her way up to a role as assistant attorney general.

Her background has been mostly working as a representative for the state in criminal appeals. She has represented the Department of Child Safety in protective services cases.

She obtained her bachelors degree from Arizona State University and her law degree from California Western School of Law.

Jackson has represented tribes and tribal organizations through her solo practitioner firm, the Jackson Law Firm.

She has experience as a tribal court judge in the Ak-Chin Indian Community and as an associate judge in the Town of Paradise Valley.

Jackson received her law degree from the University of Arizona.

Knapp is an assistant attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

He has served in the office since 2006 after spending time as an attorney for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Francisco.

Knapp earned his bachelors and law degrees from Arizona State University.

Krishna, like Francis, also serves as an assistant attorney general with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.

Her cases included a wide range of incidents involving healthcare professionals implicated in various forms of misconduct.

Krishna’s degrees were obtained from the University of Arizona and Johns Hopkins University.

The appointees replace Judges Margaret Mahoney, David Cunanan and Sally Duncan who are all retiring and Judge James Smith who is resigning.

Follow @KTAR923