Judge Warner graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1976 and thereafter returned to Tucson to practice law. As a native Arizonan, she felt most at home in the clear blue skies and desert terrain of Southern Arizona. She practiced civil litigation, with an emphasis on complex personal injury, declaratory judgment, and employment cases. After being appointed to the Superior Court in December 1985, Judge Warner served on the Civil, Criminal, Family, and Juvenile benches. She served as the presiding juvenile and family court judge. She also served on the civil and criminal benches, starting and leading the felony mental health court.  Since leaving the bench, she continued her legal education by attending the Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine Law School. She has continued to take continuing education in the areas of family law and dispute resolution.  

In 1999, she was awarded the American Bar Association award for judicial excellence for her work in leading the reformation of child welfare case processing in juvenile court. In 2006, she was selected as the Women of the Year for Pima County for her community work. She has received numerous awards and recognitions for her service to the legal system, courts, and community. She has also served as a Professor of Practice at the James E. Rogers College of Law, where she taught Advanced Family Law Practice. 

She has served as a Judge pro tempore and a judge recalled to service in the Superior Court in various counties in Arizona. She conducts settlement conferences in family law cases in Pima County Superior Court.  

Since 2015, Judge Warner has served on the Commission on Trial Court appointments in Pima County, following appointment by the Governor and confirmation by the State Senate. Judge Warner is engaged in community work and is a member of Women’s Leading of Southern Arizona, a professional women’s group in Tucson. 

Education: Undergraduate & Graduate

• J.D. Georgetown University Law Center

• B.A.s in Sociology and Political Science, University of Arizona

List of Awards

• 1999, American Bar Association award for judicial excellence

• 2001 Greater Tucson Leader from Greater Tucson Leadership 

• 2006, Tucson Woman of the Year awarded by the Tucson Chamber of Commerce

• 2008 University of Arizona Alumni Award for Public Service

• 2011 Social Responsibility Alumni Award, U of A Honors College

• 2015, Arizona Judicial College, COJET Excellence in Education Award

List of Associations/Memberships

• State Bar of Arizona

• Pima County Bar Association

• American Bar Association, Sections on Dispute Resolution, Family Law and Elder Law/Mental Health

• Association of Family and Conciliation Courts

• Arizona Women Lawyers Association

• Pima County Bar Association

• Women’s Leading of Southern Arizona