Justice Michael Ryan, Arizona Supreme Court

In June, we heard the news that a longtime Justice on the Arizona Supreme Court was retiring this month. Justice Michael Ryan has been on the Court since 2002. Before that, he was on the Court of Appeals and the trial court. As a lawyer, he worked as a prosecutor.

Here is the Court’s press release on Justice Ryan’s retirement.

Last Monday, Justice Ryan sat down for an interview with Ted Simons, the host of Horizon, a news and interview program on the Phoenix PBS affiliate. It was a great interview of a man with a fascinating career. (In fact, it was so good, I wrote a complimentary e-mail to Ted and his executive producers, David Majure and Mike Sauceda. It’s not often that a writer will admit that he wished he had done an interview himself, but I put it out there. But I’ve still gotten no reply, which means public TV must be just as overloaded with e-mail as everyone else.)

Here is Horizon’s description of the interview:

Justice Michael Ryan recently retired from the state’s High Court after a judicial career that spans more than two decades. During that time, he presided over the criminal trial of former Governor Evan Mecham, the AzScam political corruption trial, and the Phoenix Suns drug case. Hear what Justice Ryan has to say about his career and the state of Arizona’s judiciary.

The video is finally online. If you haven’t watched it, it will definitely be the best 13 minutes you spend today. Click here to start watching.