Presiding City Magistrate - Judge J. Matias Tafoya
J. Matias Tafoya
was appointed by the Mesa City Council as Presiding City Magistrate on
September 8, 2003.
Prior to his appointment as Presiding City Magistrate, he served as a judge
in the Phoenix Municipal Court for nineteen years. He also has worked
as a Deputy County Attorney for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, as an
Assistant City Prosecutor for the Phoenix City Prosecutor's Office, and was
in private practice.
Judge Tafoya has been a member of the Arizona State Bar since 1975, a member
of the Los Abogados Hispanic Lawyers Association since 1976, and a member of
the Arizona Asian American Bar Association since 2001. He is a
Founding Member of the Minority Judges Caucus.
He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science/Economics from
Northern Arizona University. Judge Tafoya was awarded his Juris
Doctorate by Arizona State University College of Law.