Former Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Jones dies at age 83
Corrections & Clarifications: This story has been updated to correct Charles Jones' age.
Charles Edward "Bud" Jones, a former chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court, died early Thursday morning, court officials confirmed. He was 83.
Details of his death are so far unknown, said Aaron Nash, communication director for the Arizona Supreme Court.
“I know his family was around,” Nash said. "They were there."
Jones graduated from Brigham Young University in 1959 and graduated with a law degree from Stanford University's law school in 1962.
He clerked for Judge Richard Chambers on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals immediately after law school and practiced law the rest of his career in Arizona. He was a member of both the Arizona and California Bar Associations.
After several years of practicing law in California and Arizona, he began serving as an associate justice on the Arizona Supreme Court in April 1996.
In January 1997, Jones became the court's vice chief justice and served in that role until 2002, when he became chief justice.
His nine years of service to the court ended when he retired in 2005.
Former Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor, who served with Jones, said in an emailed statement from a court spokesman, "(Jones) was a wonderful judge and colleague and an even better person,"
John R. Lopez IV, a current associate justice for the court and Jones' former clerk, said in the statement that he was "honored to have clerked for Justice Jones."
"He was an exceptional mentor and the embodiment of civility, dignity, and grace," Lopez said.
Jones was also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in several capacities in the church.
Jones is survived by his wife Ann of 60 years, their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Jan. 3 at the LDS church at 4225 N. 56th St. in Phoenix.
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