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
P.O. 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
P.O. 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