Courts in Arizona

In Arizona, there is one federal district court, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, trial courts, and tribal courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.

Click a link for information about that court type.

• Federal courts
• State supreme court
• State court of appeals
• Trial courts
• Tribal courts

The image below depicts the flow of cases through Arizona's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.

The structure of Arizona's state court system.

Judicial selection process

See also: Judicial selection in Arizona and Arizona judicial elections

Selection of state court judges in Arizona occurs through a variety of methods, varying by level of court and (in the case of the superior courts) by county population. The two appellate courts rely on what is known as the Missouri Plan, while the superior courts employ a mix of partisan elections, nonpartisan elections, and merit selection.^[1]

Across the state's appellate and trial courts, there are seven supreme court justices, 28 courts of appeal judges, and 180 superior court judges.^[2][3]

Judges of the Arizona Supreme Court and Arizona Court of Appeals serve initial terms of at least two years, after which they stand for retention. Subsequent terms are six years in length for both courts. Judges of the Arizona Superior Court in Coconino, Pima, Pinal, and Maricopa counties serve an initial term of two years, followed by four-year terms if retained. Superior court judges in other counties and judges of the Arizona Justice Courts also serve four-year terms, with no initial two-year term.^[4]

Elected judges' terms take effect on the first Monday in January following their election.^[5]

To read more about judicial elections in Arizona, click here.

Federal courts

The federal district court in Arizona is the United States District Court for the District of Arizona.

Appeals from the district court go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

Active Judges

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democrat appointed: 7
• Republican appointed: 6

Judicial selection

Judges who sit on the federal district courts are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. These judges serve life terms. To read more about the judges on these courts, click here.

State supreme court

See also: Arizona Supreme Court

Founded in February 1912, the Arizona Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort. The position of chief justice is currently vacant. Seven justices serve on the court. It has administrative supervision over all the other courts, and it hears appeals of decisions from the Court of Appeals, as well as appeals in special cases from the Superior Court. Special cases include those involving the death penalty and some involving elected officials or disputes between counties.^[6]

The following judges sit on the court:

State court of appeals

See also: Arizona Court of Appeals

The Arizona Court of Appeals, further divided into two divisions, is the intermediate court in the state. Division One, based in Phoenix, consists of 16 judges, and has jurisdiction in the western and northern regions of the state, along with the greater Phoenix area. Division Two is based in Tucson and has six judges. The court has jurisdiction over the southern regions of the state, including the Tucson area. Judges are selected in a method similar to the one used for the state Supreme Court justices.^[7]

The following judges sit on the court:

Trial courts

Superior courts

See also: Arizona Superior Court

Each county of Arizona has a superior court, which is a trial court of general jurisdiction. The size and organization of individual superior courts are varied and generally depend upon the size of the particular county. The superior courts also hear appeals from the Arizona Justice Courts.

Justice courts

See also: Arizona Justice Courts

The Arizona Justice Courts are trial courts of limited jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases in Arizona. Appeals of Justice Court rulings are heard by the Arizona Superior Court.^[8]

Municipal courts

See also: Arizona Municipal Courts

The Arizona Municipal Courts are courts of limited jurisdiction over city and town ordinance violations in Arizona. These courts also share Jurisdiction with the Justice of the Peace Courts over violations of State law committed within the limits of the city or town.^[9]

Tribal courts

The Tribal Council of the Hopi Reservation in Arizona established the Hopi Tribal Courts in 1972. The Hopi Judiciary is divided into the Hopi Trial Court, with original jurisdiction over Hopi legal matters, and the Hopi Appellate Court, which hears appeals from the trial court.^[10][11]

In other states

See also

• Judicial selection in Arizona
• Arizona judicial elections

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Arizona Court locator

Footnotes

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