ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

The decision from the mayor and council was spotlighted after the City Magistrate Merit Selection Commission, a review board that both recommends candidates and reviews the performance of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ City Court judges, made the rare recommendation on Feb. 11 that the City Council vote against reappointing Hale to another term, with a salary of $112,000 a year.

The commission said it spoke to more than 35 prosecutors, public defenders, judges and defense attorneys from the city and county who spoke against Hale’s reappointment, citing what they said was her erratic temperament and lack of basic legal knowledge.

Hale previously worked for the Pima County Public Defender’s Office, and ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ City Council first approved her appointment to city magistrate in 2011.

After almost 10 years serving as a judge at the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Municipal Court, Judge Hale will receive another four-year term on the bench after her third reappointment by the mayor and council.

City magistrates must face a review panel in order to retain their position for another term. When reviewing Hale’s performance, the magistrate commission found reports of the judge being abusive toward parties and counsels, having trouble understanding basic legal principles and failing to afford due process to defendants who come before her.

However, the poor reviews came with several sources who wrote to the City Council in support of Hale, contending she’s a competent judge who’s been falsely portrayed as a “bully.�

Mayor Regina Romero said she was “very happy� to make the motion to approve Hale’s first appointment to city magistrate in 2011 and continues to support her position on the bench. The mayor seemed to question the validity of the commission’s review process.