Arizona Law

The Arizona Judicial Branch offers a guide to the Arizona state court system. It contains detailed information about each level of the state's courts and provides links to court websites. You can also receive online access to Arizona state court cases for 177 out of 184 courts via its Public Access to Court Information Case Search.

Arizona employs a three-tier judicial system:  

• Trial Courts of Limited and General Jurisdiction (Municipal Courts, Justice of the Peace Courts, and Superior Courts)
• Intermediate Appellate Courts (Divisions One and Two of the Arizona Court of Appeals)
• High Court (Arizona Supreme Court)

Municipal Courts and Justice of the Peace Courts
Municipal Courts and Justice of the Peace Courts are trial courts of limited jurisdiction.

• Municipal courts (i.e., city courts) are city-specific and have criminal jurisdiction over misdemeanor crimes and petty offenses committed in their city. They share jurisdiction with justice courts over violations of state law committed within their city limits. The judges and hearing officers in a city or town court are either employees of the city or town or are hired on a contract basis.
• Justice of the Peace Courts (i.e., justice courts) are county-specific and can hear traffic cases and certain criminal and civil cases, including domestic violence and harassment cases. Their civil jurisdiction is limited to cases involving claims of $10,000 or less. Justice courts are presided over by elected justices of the peace who hold four (4) year terms of office.

You can access detailed case information for some Municipal Courts within Maricopa County via the Arizona Judicial Branch and its Public Access to Court Information Case Search.

Superior Courts
Superior Courts are trial courts of general jurisdiction. Their primary judicial function is to preside over disputes, both civil and criminal in nature. There is at least one superior court in every county:  Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai, Yuma.

Court of Appeals
The Arizona Court of Appeals is the state's intermediate appellate court. There are two divisions:  Division One is in Phoenix and Division Two is in Tucson. Its primary judicial function is to review appeals from the superior courts.

Supreme Court
The Arizona Supreme Court is the state's highest appellate court. Its primary judicial function is to exercise discretionary jurisdiction over most appeals and to establish rules of procedure for the state court system.

Arizona Reports
Opinions from the Arizona Supreme Court and Court of Appeals are published in the official Arizona Reports. The Arizona Reports include Arizona Supreme Court decisions dating from the territorial period and Arizona Court of Appeals decisions beginning in 1977. Arizona Reports is available in print in the Law Library at the following locations:  

• Report of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of the Territory of Arizona (1884-1911)
• Report of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Arizona (1911-1976)
• Report of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals of the State of Arizona (1977-present)

Arizona Reports is indexed by the Arizona Digest according to the West key number system. This system allows researchers to quickly locate relevant cases using descriptive word indices.

Arizona Appeal Reports
Opinions from the Arizona Court of Appeals from its establishment in 1965 until 1976 are published in the Arizona Appeal Reports. Arizona Appeal Reports is available in print in the Law Library at the following location:  

• Report of Cases Argued and Determined in the Court of Appeals of the State of Arizona (1965-1976)

Opinions from the Arizona Court of Appeals from 1977-present are published with Supreme Court opinions in the Arizona Reports.

Pacific Reporter
Case law from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming is also published in the unofficial Pacific Reporter. Cases comprising the first and second editions (1883-1988) are available in print in the Law Library. Cases comprising the third edition (1988-present) are also available in print. Volumes can be found at the following locations:  

• The Pacific Reporter (1883-1988)
• West's Pacific Reporter (1988-present)

When filing within Arizona, always cite to the official Arizona Reports if possible. See Ariz. R. Civ. App. P. Rule 13(f).

Listed below are resources for free online access to Arizona state court case information (dockets) and filings. If you cannot find access to the information you need for a particular case through any of these resources, we suggest that you contact the clerk for the court in which the case was/will be heard to inquire about access options.

• Clerk of the Arizona Supreme Court
• Clerk of the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One
• Clerk of the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division Two
• Clerk of the Maricopa County Superior Court

Public Access to Court Information (Arizona Judicial Branch)
This website provides information about online access to Arizona state court cases for 177 out of 184 courts via its Public Access to Court Information Case Search. A list of courts that are not accessible or only display a portion of their case population can be viewed here. Access to filings varies by court.

Arizona Appellate Court Cases (Arizona Judicial Branch)
This website provides information on, and access to, current cases before the Arizona Supreme Court and the two divisions of the Court of Appeals. The website provides access to an active case list, calendar, and opinion search for each state appellate court. Division Two of the Court of Appeals also makes case information available on its website. Access to filings varies by court.

Public Access to Court Information (Maricopa County Superior Court)
This website provides access to court calendars, case histories, and minute entries for civil court cases, criminal court cases, family court cases, and probate cases. Full-text filings are generally not available. Retention rules for superior court cases can be viewed here.

In addition to the general rules of practice and procedure for the federal courts and the Arizona state courts, there are court-specific (local) rules for practicing before both Arizona state and federal tribunals. The Arizona Rules of Court for state and federal courts are available in print and online. The Law Library has the following publications in print:  

• Arizona Rules of Court, State and Federal 
• Arizona Annotated Court Rules