A. John Pelander

Hon. John Pelander was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court by Governor Janice Brewer in July 2009 after 14 years with Division Two of the Court of Appeals, where he served as that court’s chief judge from July 2004 through June 2009.  In July 2014, he became Vice Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and served in that role until January 2018.  

Justice Pelander retired from the bench March 1, 2019.  Since then, pursuant to Chief Justice administrative orders, he has continued to periodically sit with the Court on a call-back, active duty status.  From 2020 to date, Justice Pelander has taught a one-semester course at the University of Arizona College of Law and done some private consulting work in various law-related areas.  He also serves as a Christian Legal Society volunteer lawyer, assisting Tucson Gospel Rescue Mission residents in identifying and resolving legal issues; and he serves as a member of the Pusch Ridge Christian Academy governing board.

Justice Pelander received his bachelor of arts degree from Wittenberg University (1973, cum laude), a J.D. degree from the University of Arizona (1976, with high distinction and Order of the Coif), and his Master of Laws in Judicial Process from the University of Virginia in 1998.  Justice Pelander is a former shareholder with Slutes, Sakrison, Grant & Pelander, P.C., where his practice from 1977 to 1995 focused on insurance defense, employment law, commercial litigation, and appeals.

Before beginning his law practice, he served as Executive Editor of the Arizona Law Review and as a law clerk to the Hon. Richard H. Chambers of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals from 1976-77.  Before joining the bench, Justice Pelander was a certified specialist in the field of personal injury and wrongful death.  He was an associate with the American Board of Trial Advocates, has taught at numerous state and county bar association programs, and has served as a faculty member of the Arizona College of Trial Advocacy.  Justice Pelander also has served on the Arizona Commission for Judicial Performance Review, the Arizona Judicial Council, as chair of Arizona’s Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee, and as an officer of the national Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal.  In 2015, Justice Pelander was elected to membership in the American Law Institute. 

Justice Pelander and his wife Mary have two adult sons and six grandchildren.  They are members of the Catalina Foothills Church, PCA, where he has served as a ruling elder.