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Judge Gerald Williams

Our Judges Judge Gerald Williams

Hon. Gerald WilliamsNORTH VALLEY PRECINCT | Phone Number: (602) 372-2000

North Valley Justice of the Peace Gerald A. Williams was appointed in April 2004. He was then elected to his current position in the fall of 2004, and has been reelected ever since. He is a former Associate Presiding Justice of the Peace of the Maricopa County Justice Courts and chairs our Best Practices committee.

Prior to his appointment, Judge Williams was the staff attorney for the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct. While there he represented the commission in seven formal public cases against judges and helped review more than 500 ethics complaints against judges throughout the state of Arizona. He has also served as a staff attorney for the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Counsel's Office in Phoenix.

Judge Williams received an undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University and earned his law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. While in law school, he served as managing editor of Oklahoma Law Review.

Judge Williams began his legal career in the United States Air Force, where he served as a Judge Advocate General or "JAG." As an Air Force attorney, he prosecuted and defended criminal cases and served as a medical law consultant. Judge Williams retired from the Air Force Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Judge Williams is actively involved in efforts to improve the judicial branch. He served on committees that wrote the Justice Court Rules of Civil Procedure, the Rules of Procedure for Eviction Actions, and the rules for the Constable Ethics, Standards, and Training Board. Judge Williams is a faculty member for the Arizona New Judge Orientation Course and also served on the Arizona Supreme Court’s DUI Case Processing Committee.

In June 2019, the State Bar of Arizona award him the Justice Michael D. Ryan Award for Judicial Excellence. Along with two other judges, Judge Williams received the Chief Justice’s 2015 Strategic Agenda Award for Enhancing Professionalism within Arizona’s Courts. He was named the 2013 Arizona Justice of the Peace of the Year.

He has also been involved in community activities for several years. He is active in the American Legion and at the First United Methodist Church in Glendale. Judge Williams volunteers as a trial judge for the high school Arizona Mock Trial Tournament and as a Law Merit Badge Counselor for the Boy Scouts. His articles have appeared in various legal publications, including the Arizona Attorney magazine. He also writes a monthly newspaper and magazine column.

Career Highlights

  • Began legal career as a Judge Advocate General or "JAG".
  • Served as the staff attorney for the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct.
  • Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel.
  • Named 2013 Justice of the Peace of the Year
  • Awarded the 2019 Justice Michael D. Ryan Award for Judicial Excellence

Publications in Professional Journals: 

Gerald A. Williams & Charles J. Adornetto, Pandemic Residential Eviction Moratoriums:  An Analysis of Judicial Implementation and Recommendations for the Future, 54 Texas Tech L. Rev. 603 (Summer 2022). 

Gerald A. Williams & Miles Keegan, Justices of the Peace, Pandemics and Evictions; Historical Foundations and Contemporary Responses, 57 Arizona Attorney 24 (Feb 2021). 

Justice Clint Bolick & Gerald A. Williams, The Role of State Constitutions in the Protection of Individual Rights, 91 Okla. Bar J. 18 (Mar. 2020).

Gerald A. Williams, Recent Developments Concerning the Purchase of Consumer Debt; Defining Potential Problems and Proposals for Suggested Solutions, 11 J. of Business, Entrepreneurship & The Law 1 (2018). 

Gerald A. Williams, Possible Collateral Consequences of Same-Sex Marriage:  Is Freedom of Religion Being Redefined to Mean Only Freedom of Worship? 9 Ariz. Summit L. Rev. 229 (2016)  

Gerald A. Williams, Arizona Legal History:  Justice of the Peace Wells W. Spicer, Wyatt Earp, and Doc Holiday’s Judge, 49 Arizona Attorney 12 (October 2012).

Gerald A. Williams, Some Recent Developments in Veterans’ Benefits, 82 Okla. Bar Journal 2733 (Nov. 19, 2011).  

Gerald A. Williams, Representing Residential Tenants in Eviction Actions, 48 Arizona Attorney, 12 (November 2011).   

Gerald A. Williams, A Primer on Veterans’ Benefits for Legal Assistance Attorneys, 47 Air Force L. Rev. 163 (1999).

Gerald A. Williams, How You Could Get Nailed for Patient Dumping, 75 Medical Economics 189 (April 13, 1998).

Gerald A. Williams, How Do I Chart That? Some Practical Recommendations, 15 Federal Practitioner 29 (February 1998).  

Gerald A. Williams, A Primer on Water Law for Base Offices, 20 The Reporter 3 (June 1993).

Note, Military Law:  Should Military Personnel Be Court-Martialed For Offenses That Are Not Service Connected?, 42 Okla.L.Rev. 116 (1989).

Note, Criminal Law:  Tully v. State of Oklahoma:  Oklahoma Recognizes Duress As A Defense For Felony-Murder, 41 Okla.L.Rev. 515 (1988) cited as authority in State v.Proctor, 585 N.W.2d 841, 843 (Iowa 1998).