Arizona Courts
The Arizona judicial system operates under the separation of powers principle. It maintains its independence from the executive and legislative branches of the Arizona state government, ensuring a fair and impartial system for the administration of justice in the state. Per state law, the administrative office of each court maintains official recordings of judicial proceedings, and these Arizona court records are disseminated to interested and eligible members of the public on request.
There are three types of courts in the Arizona Court System based on their levels of jurisdiction. The jurisdiction levels of a court in Arizona determine the types of cases the court may handle. The three levels include the Appellate jurisdiction, the General jurisdiction, and the Limited jurisdiction. Within state limits, there are also federal appellate courts and other kinds of federal courts with jurisdiction to hear appeals and cases pertaining to federal law and the federal judiciary.
Courts of Limited Jurisdiction in Arizona
Courts under this level have limited jurisdiction, which implies that there are some cases beyond their authority to hear and decide. Factors that may limit these courts’ authority over certain cases may include the amount of money involved, the possible imposed sentence, or the parties involved. The two kinds of courts under the level of limited jurisdiction are the Justice of the Peace Courts and the Municipal (City) Courts. There are 20 full-time Municipal Courts judges in Arizona.
The Arizona Trial Court and Courts of General Jurisidiction
In the State of Arizona, the Superior Court is the court with general jurisdiction. It is also a statewide trial court and hears a wide range of cases, including criminal, civil, and family cases, among others. There is at least one Superior Court division in each of the 15 counties in Arizona. Each of these Superior Court divisions is referenced by its county location, for instance, the Pima County Superior Court. There are more than 100 Superior Court judges throughout the State of Arizona.
Courts of Appellate Jurisdiction in Arizona
Arizona State courts at the appellate jurisdiction level review court decisions appealed to them from lower courts. The two kinds of courts with appellate jurisdictions in Arizona are the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. The Court of Appeals hears all the appeals made by the Superior Court except for some special cases exclusively reserved for the Supreme Court. Such exceptions may include cases involving the death penalty appeals and county disputes.
The Arizona Supreme Court is the only court that reserves the right to hear appeals from the Court of Appeals and other courts in general. It is often referred to as the court of last resort, being the highest level of court in Arizona. The Supreme Court also maintains the right to choose whether to review the findings of lower jurisdiction courts or not.
What are Appeals and Court Limits in Arizona?
When a party is not satisfied with the decision by a court, the party may apply for a review by a higher court. This is what is known as an appeal. Usually, an appeal for a case review is presented by an appellant in a written document called a "brief”. The brief is written to persuade the higher court to reverse the lower court’s decision based on legal reasons such as an error in law.
In Arizona, the Court of Appeals neither accepts new hearings nor determines facts on an appeal. They only check for possible legal reasons why a lower court ruling may be reversed as requested by the appellant. Only an appellant or his legal representatives can apply for an appeal. Courts at the appellate level of jurisdiction in Arizona include the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. However, the Supreme Court is the highest court in the State of Arizona. It has the authority to review decisions from every other kind of court, including the Court of Appeals.
What is the Arizona Supreme Court?
The Arizona Supreme Court is responsible for providing rules of procedure for all other courts in Arizona. It is the highest court in Arizona. The Supreme Court reviews all appeals from the Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court hears death sentence appeals from the Superior Court. It also regulates the State Bar of Arizona’s operations, such as the admission of new attorneys and disciplinary measures on attorneys
Arizona Court of Appeals
The Arizona Court of Appeals, also known as the intermediate appellate courts, was founded in 1965. It is one of the Arizona courts at the appellate jurisdiction level. It has its Division 1 in Phoenix and Division Two in Tucson. The Court of Appeals hears all cases properly appealed to it by the Superior Court. Cases are heard and decided by three-judge panels. The Governor of the State initially appoints judges of the Court of Appeals. They may still have a chance to be retained via re-election into a 6-year term. The Arizona Court of Appeals boasts of 22 judges in total.
Arizona Superior Court
The Arizona Superior Court has one or more divisional locations in each county in the state. It is Arizona's general jurisdiction court and also a statewide court. It hears and decides civil and criminal cases beyond the jurisdiction of Municipal and other lower courts. Each county's division of the Superior Court must have at least one judge. They may have one additional judge for every 30,000 residents in a county.
Arizona Justice Courts
Justice courts hear traffic cases and certain criminal and civil cases, including domestic violence and harassment cases. They can issue search warrants. Their civil jurisdiction is limited to cases involving claims of $10,000 or less. Justice courts share jurisdiction with the superior court in cases of landlord/tenant disputes where damages are between $5,000 and $10,000. They can hear matters regarding possession of, but not title to, real property. Disputes exceeding $10,000 must be filed in the superior court.
Arizona Municipal Courts
Municipal Courts in the State of Arizona are also known as Magistrate or City courts. Their jurisdiction covers petty offenses committed within their town or city. They also handle cases of misdemeanor crimes and share responsibilities with Superior Courts in state law violations. Note that most cases covered by their jurisdiction involve crimes committed within towns or city limits.
Misdemeanor criminal cases that Municipal courts can hear include traffic offenses such as hit-and-run, driving under alcohol influence, and other cases of reckless driving. They also hear civil cases involving traffic offenses and violations of city laws. However, they do not conduct hearings for lawsuits involving two citizens as the parties. They can also issue orders of Protection and injunction and search warrants. City charters or ordinances establish the requirements for eligibility and qualification of Municipal Court judges.
The judges are generally appointed by the town councils except for Yuma City, which conducts elections for the judges. The office terms for Municipal judges must be at least two years. It is the responsibility of either the city or town councils to set the terms for the judges.
How Do I Find My Case Number in Arizona?
A unique number usually differentiates cases in Arizona courts. A case number helps identify vital information about a specific court case. A typical case number contains information about the following:
- The type of the case, example: Civil (CV) Criminal (CR) and Miscellaneous (MC)
- The year the case was filed.
- The court officer(s) to whom the case was assigned
Interested persons may contact the court clerk where a case is filed to obtain its case number. The request for a case number may be sent to the Clerk's Office via email or made in person. For the Superior Court, the Arizona Judicial Branch provides a list of the clerks’ offices and their respective addresses.
Does Arizona Hold Remote Court Trials?
To minimize the spread and adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Arizona courts are authorized to hold remote court proceedings. This was stated in Administrative Order No 2020-197, released by the Arizona Supreme Court on December 3, 2020. According to the order, proceedings in all appellate, superior, justice, juvenile, and municipal courts are allowed to hold via teleconferencing sessions.
The move was implemented to keep the state’s judicial system working during the pandemic. The emphasis is to limit in-person court proceedings by every means possible. The order also authorized judicial leadership to resolve cases using available Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platforms. Furthermore, courts may collect defendants’ fingerprints during hearings through authorized procedures to establish their identities.
