Hon. Suzanne M Nicholls

Maricopa County Superior Court

Honorable Suzanne Nicholls was appointed to the Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County in April 2020. She has served on the Family Court Bench since that time. Before her appointment to the bench, Hon. Nicholls served as a Deputy Public Advocate representing parents and families in dependency actions for many years. She was awarded the Arizona Public Defender Association's Outstanding Performance Award in July 2017 for her work in developing and drafting the law regarding Court Authorized Removals in dependency actions. Prior to that, Hon. Nicholls worked at the Arizona Attorney General's Office in the Child and Family Protection Division representing the Department of Child Safety, after having served many years in the Criminal Appeals Division. Her diversity of legal practice also included several years at two different private civil litigation firms spanning many areas including insurance defense, civil litigation, estate planning, and intergovernmental law. Hon. Nicholls has participated in various young attorney developmental programs through Arizona State University's Moot Court and Mock Trial programs and is a member of the Thurgood Marshall Inn of Court, Arizona Women's Lawyers Association and other associations.