Arizona Court System - Assignment Example

The Superior Court of Arizona is the general jurisdiction court, and serves the purpose of statewide trials. This court has the discretion to hear the largest variety of suits, and documents records of court processes permanently. The Arizona Court of Appeals determines appeals against the decisions entered by the Superior Court of Arizona. The Arizona Supreme Court is the highest court in the state having the jurisdiction to decide on high-level cases in the state. Arizona Supreme Court The Arizona Supreme Court is the highest court in the state.

It comprises the Chief Justice, a Deputy, and Associate Justices numbering three (Berch, 2011). The justices are chosen by the governor of the state from a list proposed by an impartial commission. Justices defend their seats in a poll, 24 months after they assume office, and then every term lasting six years (Jacobs, 1995). The justices must retire once they attain 70 years of age. The chief justice is picked by the court to serve for a five-year term, and is allowed to defend his seat in subsequent elections.

The holder of the office oversees the management of all the lower courts, and doubles as the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments chair. The mandate of the commission is to nominate judges to the courts of appeal. The Arizona constitution mandates the Chief Justice to make the appointments of the propose nominees, two months after the proposal of the names should the Governor fail to execute the mandate (Jacobs, 1995). The Vice Chief Justice is permitted by the law to act as Chief Justice in case the latter is absent or unable to effectively discharge the uties.

The deputy Chief Justice is selected by the court, which also determines the terms of service (Jacobs, 1995). The court’s discretion is captured in the Arizona Constitution. Most of the petitions filed at the court pass through the appellate courts of the state, except for cases involving capital punishment, in which case the court has sole discretion to act (Laffey, 2003). The Arizona Supreme Court also has jurisdiction in hearing of election petitions. Although, three judges make a quorum, all the justices must sit in the event of annulling legislation on grounds that it contravenes the state’s constitution.

Arizona Court of Appeals The Arizona Court of Appeals plays the intermediary role and appeals against the verdicts entered by the Arizona Superior Courts. The court is split into two chambers, with a 22 serving judges: sixteen judges are in Phoenix’s Division One, and the remaining are in the Tucson based Division Two (Jacobs, 1995). The jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals is to examine appeals in civil petitions from the lower Arizona Superior Court. Rulings on cases involving juvenile and family relations entered by the lower court, workers’ remuneration and employment issues, tax court rulings, and particular corporation commission verdicts are reviewed by the court (Berch, 2011).

Additionally, it is within the jurisdiction of the court to hear appeals in criminal cases from the lower court, except for petitions in which a capital sentence has been ordered. Death penalty petitions are taken straight the Supreme Court of Arizona (Laffey, 2003). The Arizona Court of Appeals may also consider and identify cases for special action; these cases often involve the issuance of special writs. Arizona Superior Courts In Arizona, the Superior Court is the only judicial body mandated to hear and determine different