Jon W. Thompson

Jon W. Thompson was a Judge of the Arizona Court of Appeals from 1995 until his death in 2019.

Early life and education

Thompson attended Glendale Community College before earning a bachelor's degree from Northern Arizona University in 1975 and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado in 1979.

Legal career

Thompson was a deputy county attorney in Coconino and Yuma counties. He then served as a judge pro tempore for the Coconino County Superior Court and worked in private practice in Flagstaff.

Appointment to state court of appeals

Thompson was appointed to the court by Governor Fife Symington in 1995. He was retained by voters in 1998, 2004, 2010, and 2016. At the time of his death, Thompson was the state's second-longest serving appellate judge.
In 2018, Thompson authored a decision that rendered cannabis extracts like hash oil illegal, the state supreme court eventually reversed.