Superior Court Judge Michael Kemp retired on June 30 after a distinguished 20-year judicial career.
During his time on the Bench, he served in the Criminal, Juvenile, Family and Civil Departments. Judge Kemp spent most of his judicial career, 13 years, in the Criminal Department where he presided over numerous complex capital matters. He was regarded around the State as a subject matter expert on capital cases.
“I really enjoyed the important work we do. Sometimes I think we don’t realize how many lives we touch. Many thanks to the leaders of this Court. We can be proud of the innovations implemented, and the Court’s ability to meet the many challenges,” Judge Kemp said.
Prior to joining the Court, Judge Kemp was an assistant United States Attorney from 1995 - 2005. He served as a deputy county attorney in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office from 1989 – 1995. He also spent his first three years in private practice working as an associate at the law firm of O’Connor, Cavanaugh.
Judge Kemp received bachelor's degrees in philosophy and business from the University of Northern Iowa in 1979 and a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1981. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1987.
While in college, Judge Kemp was a four-year member of the Northern Iowa University Men’s Basketball team. He made Academic All-Conference in 1977 and 1978, winning a NCAA post-graduate scholarship in 1979.