Hon. Margaret H. Downie
Maricopa County Superior Court
Margaret H. Downie was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals in 2008. Previously, Judge Downie spent more than 11 years on the Maricopa County Superior Court, where she was Associate Presiding Judge and Civil Presiding Judge. She also served as chair of the Commissioner Selection Committee, Judge Pro Tem Committee, Jury Committee, and Judicial Education and Training Committee.
Judge Downie graduated with a B.A. degree in Radio, TV, and Film, magna cum laude, from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1984. She also served on the American Criminal Law Review at Georgetown.
After law school, Judge Downie worked in the civil litigation department of Jennings, Strouss & Salmon in Phoenix. Thereafter, she spent almost ten years in the discipline department of the State Bar of Arizona, ultimately serving as Chief Bar Counsel. Before being appointed a judge of the superior court in 1999, Judge Downie served as a court commissioner.
Judge Downie has been honored as “Judge of the Year” by the American Board of Trial Advocates, Phoenix Chapter. She also received the Distinguished Service Award from the Arizona Association of Defense Counsel. Judge Downie has chaired the Court of Appeals’ Connecting with the Community Program, is a member of the
Commission on Judicial Conduct, and has served on numerous Arizona Supreme Court Committees, including the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee, the Court Leadership Institute of Arizona (CLIA), the New Judge Orientation Committee, the Arizona Achievement Award Selection Committee, and the Committee on Superior Court. She is also a member of the City of Mesa’s Judicial Advisory Board. (2/2017)
