The court's Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee said Babeu has a conflict of interest in hearing cases from the Pinal County Sheriff's Office because his "impartiality may be questioned."

"We conclude that the sheriff, who is elected to enforce criminal and civil traffic violations and whose reelection depends largely upon the public perception of the sheriff's success in doing so, has more than a (minimal) interest in any case in which the sheriff's office is involved," said the opinion issued Nov. 18. "The judge therefore must disqualify himself."