Arizona Court Case Lookup

An Arizona court case refers to a suit, claim, or complaint brought within the Arizona court system to resolve a legal issue. This includes child support, elder abuse, traffic infractions, dissolution of marriage, breach of contract, personal injury, and more. The purpose of an Arizona court case lookup is to provide a means to access court case information pursuant to the provisions of the Arizona Public Records Act.

Individuals, corporations, partnerships, and government entities can initiate court cases against other parties in Arizona. These cases are heard at the trial and appellate levels. Courts at the trial level are the limited and general jurisdiction courts, which decide most cases filed in the state. (According to statistical data from the Arizona Judicial Branch, the state trial courts closed over 1.4 million cases in 2021.) Meanwhile, courts at the appellate level review appeals of trials and decisions. They also handle cases beyond the jurisdiction of the lower courts.

Are Court Cases Public Record in Arizona?

Yes, court cases are public record in Arizona under Title 39 of the state's revised statutes and the Supreme Court Rules, Rule 123. Therefore, interested persons can request to view/copy paper or digital records of court cases heard in the state, except for sealed or otherwise barred cases.

No requester is required to prove their identity, citizenship, or purpose to access unrestricted Arizona court cases. However, a person must state their interest and have the court's approval to access a sealed file.

How to Conduct an Arizona Court Case Lookup

Members of the public can look up Arizona court cases physically or remotely. A standard method is to visit the clerk's office in the courthouse where a case was heard to search and view court case records at no charge (unless the clerk's office performs the research). For instance, persons interested in an Arizona Court of Appeal case can visit the clerk's office viewing room during working hours to look up the case for free.

The Arizona courts do not also charge individuals who access the consolidated Case Search system, a separately maintained case management system, or the Appellate Court Case website to retrieve case information online. As an alternative, court case requesters can write to or fax the presiding court clerk's office requesting a court case lookup - but the clerks often require payment to return search results to a requester.

Not all courts in Arizona provide the four case search methods specified above - and some may have other search methods (e.g., email). Further, each entity looking for court cases in Arizona must possess certain details for a successful search. Usually, it is a plaintiff/defendant's name or the unique number (the case/citation/complaint number) attached to the case.

Can I Get Arizona Court Case Documents Online?

Yes. A person can obtain Arizona court case documents online via eAccess. EAccess is an internet portal established by the Arizona Supreme Court and maintained on the state judiciary's website to enable public access to open Arizona court case records and documents. The portal is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, a fee is assessed to obtain case documents unless the requester is an approved government agency.

How to Conduct an Arizona Court Case Search by Name

Looking up a "court case by name" means using a plaintiff, defendant, representing attorney, or presiding judge's name to retrieve information about a court case.

Courts in Arizona allow the public to write, visit, or otherwise reach them (through the available means) to conduct a court case search. One primary parameter for the search is a name. Hence, one can simply give a defendant's name or another case party's name to the appropriate court clerk's office to conduct a court case search by name in Arizona. They may also access the electronic case search portal provided online by the Arizona judicial branch to perform the name search themselves. Again, some courts, like the Pima County Justice Court, Maricopa County Superior Court, and Chandler Municipal Court, maintain independent case search systems on their official websites.

What is a Court Case Number?

A court case number is a distinct identifier the courts use to distinguish and manage cases. It allows for quick reference to a case filed in a particular court and the easy retrieval of case information and records by court officials, attorneys, and members of the public.

How to Conduct a Case Number Search in Arizona

Individuals can conduct a case number search in Arizona on the presiding court's website (the court that resolved a case) or the state judicial branch's Public Access Case Lookup site. As mentioned, Arizona courts maintain web-based case management systems on their websites, which individuals can access to find court case information. One way to access such systems is with a case number.

Persons who do not know the case number assigned to a case have the option of searching with other criteria (such as a case party's last or first name) or searching an index (like the Court of Appeals Division One's Party-Case Index) to find the case number.

Residents can also visit the relevant court to perform a case number search with the clerk of court's assistance or without.

How to Remove Court Cases From Public Record in Arizona

Litigants or their attorneys can submit petitions for expungement or sealing to a court to remove court cases from public record in Arizona. However, they must meet certain requirements to qualify for such relief methods.

Expungement

ARS § 36-2862 governs petitions to expunge court cases in Arizona. However, it only covers marijuana-related cases. An expungement in Arizona means that the court will seal the case file and law enforcement records, vacate the judgment of conviction or adjudication plus any related pending court debt, and restore civil rights affected by the charge(s). Subsequently, the defendant can say they have never been arrested, charged, convicted, adjudicated, or sentenced for the marijuana offense. Also, the expunged marijuana charge cannot be used to prosecute the defendant again.

Interested parties can find expungement forms, instructions, and frequently asked questions on the Arizona judiciary's website. Several courts also have these materials on their websites.

Expunging a record in Arizona does not mean the destruction or erasure of all records related to the offense. Although information about the marijuana offense will be sealed or redacted, related records may still be accessible to the public unless destroyed by the court's retention schedule.

Sealing

Sealing is authorized for criminal court cases under ARS § 13-911 and civil court cases under the Arizona Court Rules. For example, Rule 5.4, Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure for the Superior Courts of Arizona, and Rule 215(a), Rules of Procedure for the Juvenile Court.

Criminal court cases: When the court seals a criminal court case under ARS § 13-911, the case record is placed under seal and maintained separately from the public court file. Subsequently, the sealed file can only be accessed by entities or persons listed in sub. J of the record sealing statute or under certain conditions. Anyone whose court case was sealed in Arizona may legitimately say that they have never been arrested, charged, or convicted for the associated crime on any employment, financial aid, housing, or loan application, in the absence of certain exemptions. The procedure for sealing Arizona criminal case records, including eligibility guidelines, forms, and instructions, can be obtained from the state judiciary's self-service website.
Civil court cases: Aside from civil cases deemed confidential by statute, court rule, or court order (e.g., adoption cases and some protection orders), the courts in Arizona do not seal records in an unsealed civil case.
However, under certain conditions (like those outlined in Ariz. R. Civ. P. 5.4(c)(2)), an Arizona court can order the sealing of a civil case upon a party's motion. Generally, courts in Arizona seal civil cases when the "public disclosure of the case is against the best interests of the record's subject or public access to court records".

Eligible persons may obtain a form to file a motion to seal a civil court record from a court clerk's office or check for a fillable or non-fillable PDF form on the court's website. Speaking to an attorney may also be helpful.

Note: Sealing and expungement laws do not affect cases in the Arizona Court of Appeals or Supreme Court.

How to Check a Court Case Status in Arizona

Someone who wants to check the status of a court case filed in Arizona may search the electronic case management system provided by courts on the internet. This is the fastest way to find out the case status, but one may call, fax, or mail the court with a request for the status of a case. Each inquirer must provide case information that allows for the swift retrieval of the case status - typically a litigant's name or case number.

How to Find Supreme Court Decisions in Arizona

Interested members of the public can find decisions (formally called "opinions") rendered by the Arizona Supreme Court as follows:

Go to the Arizona Appellate Court Case website (https://apps.supremecourt.az.gov/aacc)
Click "Arizona Supreme Court"
Click "Opinions"
Fill the search fields and click "Submit" (or just click "Submit" to retrieve the Supreme Court's most recent decisions). On the search site, one can also view supreme court decisions by year, from 1998 to the present year.

What Percentage of Court Cases Go to Trial in Arizona?

The Arizona courts do not publicly disclose the number of court cases that go to trial in a fiscal year (FY). Due to this lack of data, it is difficult to determine an exact percentage of cases that end up at a court trial. However, it can be assumed that only a small percentage ever make it to trial, based on nationwide studies undertaken by the National Center for State Courts. To illustrate, a recent report from the NCSC puts the national average of criminal cases that go to a jury trial at 1% for misdemeanor cases and 2% for felony cases.

How Long Does a Court Case Last in Arizona?

The Arizona legislature does not impose a timeframe for the state courts to resolve cases brought before them. This length of time varies based on several factors, including

The case type and complexity
The parties' willingness to settle or otherwise resolve the case without a trial
The court's case processing speed
The court's case backlog

For example, a criminal court case will take longer to resolve if the court schedules five more hearings or the case has three continuances (when a court hearing is set for another date or postponed due to lack of time, preparation, or a case party's appearance). However, in a similar court case featuring a different defendant, the case will take a shorter time to resolve if there are lesser hearings and continuances or if the defendant accepted a plea deal.

How to File a Case in Court in Arizona

The expression "filing a case in court" typically refers to the filing of a civil action or an appeal within the court system, as citizens cannot file criminal cases - only report crimes.

To file a civil case in an Arizona court, a petitioner (an injured or wronged party) can follow these steps:

Determine the court with jurisdiction to hear the case: One way to do this is to review the Guide to Arizona Courts page. One may also check their local courts' websites, Titles 12 and 22 of the Revised Statutes, or ask a local attorney.
Complete and file a civil complaint with the court: This document outlines why the entity is initiating the civil action against another and how they want the court to resolve the case.
Pay the filing fee: Most cases filed in the Arizona court system require the petitioner/plaintiff to pay a filing fee to the court. The fee varies by case. Eligible individuals who cannot pay the fee may request a fee waiver or deferral.

Note that these steps only bring a case to the court system. The case cannot proceed to the next stages - discovery, settlement or trial, judgment, appeal - until the petitioner delivers a copy of the petition and a summons to the defendant.

What Does It Mean if a Court Case Was Resolved Before the Trial Date?

If a court case was resolved before the trial date, it means that the parties to the case chose a method other than a non-jury ("bench") or jury trial to terminate the case. In a civil case, this may mean that the involved parties reached a settlement agreeable to both sides or were able to use alternative dispute resolution methods (i.e., mediation or arbitration) to settle the dispute. In a criminal case, it often means that the defendant accepted a plea bargain offered by the state. Either way, case parties have several advantages in resolving their cases before the trial date.

They can avoid an unfavorable ruling or verdict from the court.
They can circumvent the expenses and time required for a trial.
They can resolve the case much faster.