Judge Maurice Portley

Judge Maurice Portley

CLEO 1975

I had a great summer experience at the CLEO program at University of Utah in ’75. In addition to meeting some wonderful people, the program opened my eyes to the law, and helped me understand what was expected and what it would take to be successful in law school.


Judge Maurice Portley has served on the Arizona Court of Appeals since his appointment in 2003. He had been a trial judge on the Maricopa County Superior Court from 1991– 2003, where he served as the Presiding Judge of the Southeast Judicial District from 1992-1996 and Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court from 1997 to 2001. Judge Portley graduated from Arizona State University in 1975 and the University of Michigan Law School in 1978. He served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 1979 to 1984, and was a partner in the Phoenix firm of Jennings, Strouss and Salmon before being appointed to the bench.

Judge Portley is currently the Editor of the Journal of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, a publication of the National Council of Juvenile & Family Court Judges. He also tries to stay active in community organizations, including A Stepping Stone Foundation, Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education, Great Arizona Puppet Theater, and the Phoenix College Community Orchestra.