Arizona Court of Appeals

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Seal of the Arizona Court of Appeals
Seal of the Arizona Court of Appeals

Contents

The Arizona Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court for the State of Arizona. It is divided into two divisions, with a total of twenty-two judges on the court: sixteen in Division One, based in Phoenix, and six in Division Two, based in Tucson.

The court decides the cases that come before it in panels of three judges. These panels are called departments. Each of the three-judge departments has a presiding judge who is elected by the three judges of that department.

When litigants disagree with a decision of this court, they can file an appeal with the Arizona Supreme Court.

Case load

  • Division One received 2,676 appeals and special actions in Fiscal Year 2006. In that year, it resolved 2,738 appeals, special actions, and other appellate matters.[1]

Jurisdiction

The Court of Appeals has jurisdiction to consider appeals in civil cases from the Arizona Superior Court. The court also reviews juvenile and domestic relations matters from the superior court, workers’ compensation and unemployment benefits decisions, Arizona Tax Court decisions, and certain corporation commission decisions.

The court also has jurisdiction over appeals in criminal matters from superior court, except for cases in which a death sentence has been imposed. Death penalty cases go directly to the Arizona Supreme Court.

The court may also decide "petitions for special action," which is Arizona’s term for petitions for special writs, such as certiorari, mandamus and prohibition.

Judges

Division One

Voters from Maricopa County vote on the retention of Division One judges who are residents of Maricopa County.

Voters from the other counties within Division One’s jurisdiction ( Yuma, La Paz, Mohave, Coconino, Yavapai, Navajo and Apache) vote on the judges who reside in those counties.[1]

Division Two

Selection of judges

Judges are selected by the commission/appointment method. The Arizona Commission on Appellate Court Appointments interviews applicants and sends a list of nominees to the governor. The governor is required by law to appoint from this list based on merit, without regard to party affiliation. Judges are then retained for an initial period, after which they are subject to a retention election. If the judge wins the election, his/her term is six years.[1]

Deciding cases

The Court of Appeals decides cases in panels of three judges, called "departments". Each department chooses a presiding judge from among the three. Division One also has a Chief Judge and Vice Chief Judge, elected by all judges in the division.

External links

References

Portions of this article have been taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Copyright Notice here.