Grand Canyon Times

An analysis of the Twitter account of a judicial commission appointee whose nomination was recently withdrawn by Gov. Katie Hobbs (R-Ariz.) shows partisan messages that criticize Republicans and advocate for the “roll back” of the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program.

“This is insane. What 18th century dystopia are Republicans taking us back to?” tweeted Catherine Sigmon on May 4 in response to a Washington Post article about a new Iowa law that allows children aged 14 and older to participate in parental-approved educational or apprenticeship programs in the roofing, construction, and demolition industries. 

Sigmon was appointed in January 2023 by Hobbs to serve on the Maricopa County Commission on Trial Court Appointments. Hobbs withdrew that nomination on April 25. 

Arizona Senate Judiciary Chairman Anthony Kern (R) said in a press release that Sigmon is “an extremist who wants to portray the role of 'non-partisan.”

“Hobbs would have realized this, had she done her own vetting prior to appointing Ms. Sigmon to the Commission,” said Kern. “However, as Hobbs has shown, vetting is not at the top of her 'to-do' list.”

Kern said Sigmon is “an activist known to frequently campaign for the removal of conservative judges," pointing to her co-founding of the group, Civic Engagement Beyond Voting (CEBV). Kern said CEBV “routinely attacks conservative Arizona judges through its 'Gavel Watch Report' and advocates for their removal, despite recommendations of retention from the Commission on Judicial Performance Review.”

“Ms. Sigmon’s organization has campaigned against judges based on written briefs for religious liberty and free speech cases, as well as their memberships with professional associations, strictly because their views don't fall in line with the political ideology favored by her organization,” said Kern.

Andrew Wynne, executive director of Fair Courts America, told the Grand Canyon Times that Hobbs’ appointment of Sigmon shows, "the Left’s organized campaign against our judicial system isn’t limited to attacks on the U.S. Supreme Court.”

“They want to infect the judiciary with ideology and this appointment shows not even local courts are safe from assault,” said Wynne.

An analysis of Sigmon’s Twitter account since the withdrawal of her nomination shows several additional partisan tweets. 

On May 3, Sigmon retweeted a post from Twitter user Anat Shenker-Osorio that said, “In America, we value our freedoms. But wealthy few have always tried calling the shots - rigging the rules to avoid paying what they owe and taking the wealth our work creates. And now the MAGA Republicans running our House of Representatives are doing their bidding.” 

Also on May 3, in response to Hobbs’ signing of a bill, passed by the Republican legislature, that provided more than $3 billion in funding to the Arizona Cost Containment System, Sigmon tweeted, “Headline: The MAGA Republican-controlled AZ legislature grudgingly did some business that benefits Arizonans.” 

Sigmon's LinkedIn account does not list her position with CEBV, but does say she is the Finance Manager of Save Our Schools Arizona (SOS). She regularly retweets SOS messages opposing the state’s Empowerment Scholarship (ESA) program. 

“With slow budget talks & yet another #AZLeg recess, it’s time to focus on what matters most: rolling back ESA vouchers before they fully dismantle Arizona’s public schools," said an SOS post that Sigmon retweeted on April 29.

She also has shared an SOS petition that promotes the legislative “roll back” of the ESA program. 

That ESA program “expands educational opportunities for eligible students outside of the public school system; provides public funding that can be used for a wide variety of educational expenses; and pays for private school tuition, educational therapies, tutoring, and more," says the Arizona Department of Education (DOE) website. 

That DOE website also says that, as of May 1, 2023, “53,945 Arizona Students benefit from an Empowerment Scholarship Account.”

Sigmon's LinkedIn account also says she also has been the owner of Tempe, Ariz.-based Compass Rose Framing since 2015. Her account also lists her as having worked in two different positions with PetSmart between 1999 and 2017.

"After reviewing the Constitutional requirements for the Commission on Trial Court Appointments, two big factors jump out at me," said Kern. "First, the Commission is to be non-partisan. Second, the Commission's primary task is to recommend qualified judge candidates to the Governor for appointment.”

Authorized by Section 41 of Article 6 of the Arizona Constitution, the Maricopa County Commission on Trial Court Appointments is responsible for nominating qualified judge applications to the governor for potential appointment to the Maricopa County Superior Court. The Commission consists of 16 members, as mandated by law. These members include 10 public members, 5 attorneys, and either the Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court or a designated Supreme Court justice, who serves as a voting chairperson.

The Arizona Constitution says that the commission is “non-partisan” and the commission’s recommendations “shall be made without regard to political affiliation in an impartial and objective manner.” 

Kern said he’s “thankful” that Sigmon “realized she likely would not be a proper fit for the job and resigned.”