How Does the Arizona Superior Court Work?

The Superior Courts in Arizona are the highest trial courts of general jurisdiction. The higher appellate divisions of the state may hear Superior Court appeals. However, all appeals from Justice and Municipal Courts to appellate levels must go through a review process at the Superior Court. While some appeal cases may receive closure at this level, the court may forward some cases to the appellate level. According to Article Six, Subsection 14 of the Arizona Constitution, the Superior Court has jurisdiction over:

• Criminal cases including felonies and misdemeanors
• Property disputes with a value of $1000 and above
• Evictions and landlord/tenant disputes
• Annulment, or dissolution of marriages
• Equity involving real property
• Probate matters
• Cases where exclusive jurisdiction does not belong to any other court by law

Each of the 15 counties in Arizona is home to a Superior Court branch. There are one Superior Court judge and one additional judge for every 30,000 residents in a county. In other words, the population of a county determines the number of judges in each Superior Court. There are currently more than 100 superior Court judges, most residing in Maricopa County and Pima County. The Supreme Court assigns to one of the judges in each county the role of a presiding judge for administrative flow. Besides this, the court appoints a separate judge to preside over juvenile cases in larger counties. The same applies to tax issues.

The appointment of Superior Court judges is made through a merit process. The process considers the legal liability, personal achievements, and professional accomplishments required for the post of a Superior Court judge. Interested attorneys can apply for this judicial appointment, having met the following conditions:

• Applicants must not be less than 30 years of age
• Must be of sound moral character
• Must have served on the Arizona law bench for at least five years before assuming office
• Must be a resident of the State

A non-partisan commission on trial court appointments reviews the applicants. After that, the panel sends a list of recommended finalists to the state’s governor, who reviews the applications and interviews each finalist personally. Next, the governor appoints parties to the judge’s bench. A Superior Court Judge serves a regular term of four years. However, there is a mid-term public review process where litigants, jurors, staff, and attorneys assess the judges. If the majority vote turns out negative, the court will remove the party from the office mid-term. At the end of every four years, judges will stand up to a retention election process.

Most court cases in Arizona have electronic records filed with the State Judicial Branch. However, primary versions of case records are available with the clerk where the court heard the case. Larger counties like Maricopa have several court locations; therefore, in-person inquiries begin at the specific sitting location address. Also, some counties have electronic versions of court records that may be accessed remotely. Visit the county website or call the courthouse to confirm the availability. A universal rule is that confidential information or cases under seal are not accessible remotely. Requests of this type must be forwarded to the relevant courthouse clerk’s office to access them, along with a court order.

There is no set time allocated to a case in Superior Courts. It all depends on the degree of complexity of the case. While civil cases filings may take a little as a few days, criminal cases take much longer, especially in the presence of adjacent matters.

Each county in Arizona is home to a Superior Court. Larger counties have several sitting locations. The addresses are listed as follows:

Apache County Courthouse

70 West 3rd South

PO Box 365

Saint Johns, AZ 85936

Division I

100 Quality Hill

P. O. Box Drawer CJ

Bisbee, AZ 85603

Phone: (520) 432–8540

Division II

100 Colonia de Salud

Ste 203

Sierra Vista, AZ 85635

Phone: (520) 803–3300

Division III

4 Ledge Avenue / PO Drawer CJ

Bisbee, AZ 85603

Phone: (520) 432–8530

Division IV

100 Quality Hill / PO Drawer CJ

Bisbee, AZ 85603

Phone: (520) 432–8520

Division V

100 Quality Hill / PO Drawer CJ

Bisbee, AZ 85603

Phone: (520) 432–8480

Division VI

100 Colonia de Salud

Suite 202

Sierra Vista, AZ 85635

Phone: (520) 803–3320

Division VII

(520) 432–8501

Coconino County Courthouse

200 N. San Francisco St.

Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Phone: (928) 679–7600

Division I

Judge Jaqueline Hatch

Phone: (928) 679–7551

Division II

Judge Dan Slayton

Phone: (928) 679–7580

Division III

Judge Mark Moran (Presiding)

Phone: (928) 679–7567

Division IV

Judge Elaine Fridlund-Horne

Phone: (928) 679–7586

Division V

Judge Cathleen Brown Nichols

Phone: (928) 679–7557

Division VI

Judge Ted Reed

Phone: (928) 679–7575

Superior Court of Gila County

1400 E. Ash St. 3rd Floor

Globe, AZ 85501

Phone: (928) 425–3231

Fax: (928) 425–7802

Payson Superior Court of Gila County

714 S. Beeline Hwy., Ste 104

Payson, AZ 85541

Phone: (928) 474–3978

Fax: (928) 468–2895

Graham County Courthouse

800 Main St

Safford, AZ 85546

Phone: (928) 428–3310

Fax: (928) 428–1032

Greenlee County Courthouse

223 5th St

P. O. Box 1296

Clifton, AZ 85533

Phone: (928) 865–3872

Fax: (928) 865–5358

La Paz County Courthouse

1316 Kofa Ave., Ste 607

Parker, AZ 85344

Phone: (928)669–6131

Fax: (928)669–2186

Maricopa County Superior Courthouse

101 W Madison St

Phoenix, AZ 85003

West Courthouse

111 S 3rd Ave #101

Phoenix, AZ 85003

East Courthouse

101 W. Jefferson,

Phoenix, AZ 85003

South Courthouse

175 W. Madison St

Phoenix, AZ 85003

Old Courthouse

125 W. Washington,

Phoenix, AZ 85003

Central Courthouse

201 W. Jefferson,

Phoenix, AZ 85003

Southeast Court

222 E. Javelina Ave

Mesa, AZ 85210

Phone: (602) 506–3204

Kingman Court

401 E. Spring St

P. O. Box 7000

Kingman, AZ 86402

Phone: (928) 753–0713

Lake Havasu City Office

2001 College Dr

Lake Havasu City, AZ 86404

Phone: (928) 453–0701

Bullhead City Office

2225 Trane Road

Bullhead City, AZ 86442

Phone: (928) 758–0730

Navajo County Superior Court

100 East Code Talkers Dr

P. O. Box 668

Holbrook, AZ 86025

Navajo County Superior Court

550 North 9th Place

Show Low, AZ 85901

Phone: (928) 524–4223 (Court Administration); (928) 524–4188 (Superior Court Clerk)

Fax: (928) 524–4325 (Court Administration)

Division 1

Phone: (928) 524–4213

Fax: (928) 524–4246

Division 2

Phone: (928) 524–4217

Fax: (928) 524–4246

Division 3

Phone: (928) 524–4220

Fax: (928) 524–4246

Division 4

Phone: (928) 524–4159

Fax: (928) 524–4246

Arizona Superior Court Pima County

110 W. Congress St.,

Tucson, AZ 85701

Phone: (520) 724–4200

Superior Court Administration

971 N. Jason Lopez Circle, Building A

Florence, AZ 85132

Phone: (520) 866–540; (888) 431–1311

Fax: (520) 866–5401

Santacruz County Courthouse

2160 N. Congress Drive, Ste 2200

PO Box 1265

Nogales, AZ 85628

Phone: (520) 375–7700

Fax: (520) 375–7703

Yavapai County Courthouse

120 South Cortez Street

Prescott, AZ 86303

Camp Verde Superior Court

2840 N. Commonwealth Drive

Camp Verde, AZ 86322

Juvenile Justice Center

1100 Prescott Lakes Pkwy

Prescott, AZ 86301

Phone: (928) 771–3483 (Superior Court Administration (Room 410))

Fax: (928) 771–3389

Phone: (928) 771–3580 (Superior Court Division 1(Room 301))

Fax: (928) 771–3582

Phone: (928) 777–7990 (Superior Court Division 2 (Room 304))

Fax: (928) 771–3433

Phone: (928) 771–3316 (Superior Court Division 3 (Room 407))

Fax: (928) 771–3497

Phone: (928) 771–3303(Superior Court Division 4 (Room 400))

Fax: (928) 771–3575

Phone: (928) 771–3307(Superior Court Division 5 (Room 204))

Fax: (928) 771–3508

Phone: (928) 771–3305 (Superior Court Division 6 (Juvenile Justice Center))

Fax: (928) 771–3495

Phone: (928) 567–7775 (Superior Court Division 7 (Room 140) (Camp Verde))

Fax: (928) 567–7774

Yuma County Superior Court

250 W. 2nd Street

Suite E

Yuma, AZ 85364

Phone: (928) 817–4083

Fax: (928) 817–4044