Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Maricopa County Superior Court, Arizona
| Local Courts |
|---|
|
| Trial courts and judges |
| Elections by state |
| Judicial selection by state |
| View courts by state: |
The Maricopa County Superior Court resides in Arizona. Click on the links below to learn more about the court's...
Jurisdiction
This court holds the following jurisdiction:[1]
| “ | The superior court is the state’s general jurisdiction court. It is a single entity with one or more locations in each county. Each county has at least one superior court judge. In counties with more than one superior court judge, the judges operate in numbered divisions.
Article VI § 14 of the Arizona Constitution provides the superior court with jurisdiction over:
|
” |
Judges
Elections
Arizona is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. To learn more about judicial selection in Arizona, click here.
- Arizona local trial court judicial elections, 2025
- Arizona local trial court judicial elections, 2024
- Arizona local trial court judicial elections, 2023
- Arizona local trial court judicial elections, 2022
- Arizona local trial court judicial elections, 2021
- Arizona local trial court judicial elections, 2020
- Arizona local trial court judicial elections, 2019
- Arizona local trial court judicial elections, 2018
- Arizona local trial court judicial elections, 2017
- Arizona local trial court judicial elections, 2016
- Arizona judicial elections, 2014
- Arizona judicial elections, 2012
- Arizona judicial elections, 2010
Selection method
- See also: Judicial selection in the states
The 174 judges of the Arizona Superior Court are selected in one of two ways:
- In counties with a population exceeding 250,000, judges are selected through the merit selection method. (Only Pima, Pinal, and Maricopa counties currently subscribe to this method, though the constitution provides for other counties to adopt merit selection through ballot initiative). After appointment, judges serve for two years and then must run in a yes-no retention election in the next general election. If retained, judges will go on to serve a four-year term.[3]
- In the state's other 13 counties, judges run in partisan primaries followed by nonpartisan general elections. Interim vacancies are filled through gubernatorial appointment, and newly appointed judges must run in the next general election.[3]
The chief judge of each superior court is chosen by the state supreme court. He or she serves in that capacity for the remainder of their four-year term.[3]
Judicial elections in Arizona
- See also: Arizona judicial elections
Arizona is one of five states that uses nonpartisan elections, partisan elections, and retention elections to determine whether judges should remain on the bench, depending on the court. To read more about how states use judicial elections to select judges across the country, click here.
Primary election
Judges of the Arizona Superior Court in counties with populations under 250,000 are chosen in a partisan primary and then face nonpartisan general elections.[4]
Candidates for the Arizona Justice Courts participate in primary elections throughout the state. Candidates that advance from the partisan primary compete in the general election.[5]
General election
Arizona general elections are held on the first Tuesday in November of every even-numbered year. If a victory margin is within one-half of one percent, there will be an automatic recount unless the defeated candidate provides a waiver to the recount.[6]
Appellate court judges as well as superior court judges in Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal counties stand for retention.[5]
Retention election
In counties with populations greater than 250,000—Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal counties—superior court judges are chosen through a merit selection system. In these counties, judges are appointed by the governor with the help of a selection commission. At the end of their term, the judges remain in office through uncontested retention elections every four years.[4][5]
Counties with populations less than 250,000 have the option to adopt the merit selection process through ballot initiative.[5]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Arizona Judicial Branch, "General Jurisdiction Courts - The Superior Court," accessed May 10, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Arizona," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Maricopa County Website, "Judicial Biographies," accessed April 28, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Arizona," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Arizona Election Code, "§17-16-20," accessed April 29, 2014
Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Arizona • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Arizona
State courts:
Arizona Supreme Court • Arizona Court of Appeals • Arizona Superior Court • Arizona Justice Courts • Arizona Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Arizona • Arizona judicial elections • Judicial selection in Arizona
