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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
appeals court; division two; elimination
Purpose
Eliminates Division 2 of the Arizona Court of Appeals and its respective judgeships.
Background
The Arizona Court of Appeals consists of two divisions, with Division 1 consisting of 19 judges and Division 2 consisting of 9 judges. Division 1 serves Maricopa, Yuma, La Paz, Mohave, Coconino, Yavapai, Navajo and Apache counties, and Division 2 serves Pima, Pinal, Cochise, Santa Cruz, Greenlee, Graham and Gila counties. Sessions for Division 1 are held in Phoenix, while sessions for Division 2 are held in Tucson (A.R.S. § 12-120).
Of the 19 Division 1 judges, 10 judges must be residents of and elected for retention from Maricopa County, 5 judges must be residents of the remaining counties in Division 1 and elected for retention by the voters of the counties of Division 1 except for Maricopa County and 4 of the judges must be at-large judges and can be residents of any county in Division 1. Of the 9 Division 2 judges, 4 judges must be residents of and elected for retention from Pima County, 2 judges must be residents of the remaining counties in Division 2 and elected for retention by the voters of the counties of Division 2 except for Pima County and 3 of the judges must be at-large judges and can be residents of any county in Division 2. The retention election for an at-large judge depends on their county of residence (A.R.S. § 12-120.02).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires the Arizona Court of Appeals to serve the entire state of Arizona as a single entity, rather than be split into two Divisions which serve separate regions of Arizona.
2. Eliminates the judgeship positions in Division 2 of the Arizona Court of Appeals, thereby decreasing the total number of judgeship positions in the Arizona Court of Appeals from 28 to 19.
3. Specifies that all persons serving as judges of Division 2 of the Arizona Court of Appeals on the general effective date may continue to serve until the expiration of their normal terms.
4. Requires all sessions of the Arizona Court of Appeals to be held only in Phoenix.
5. Modifies residency requirements for judges of the Arizona Court of Appeals to reflect the elimination of Division 2 and its judgeships.
6. Modifies requirements relating to the election of the Chief Judge of the Arizona Court of Appeals to reflect the elimination of Division 2 and its judgeships.
7. Transfers all monies designated for Division 2 of the Arizona Court of Appeals that are unexpended and unencumbered on the general effective date to an unspecified entity or fund, for the purposes of the Arizona Court of Appeals.
8. Directs Legislative Council Staff to prepare proposed conforming legislation for consideration in the Fifty-Eighth Legislature, First Regular Session.
9. Contains a statement of legislative intent.
10. Makes technical and conforming changes.
11. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
January 23, 2026
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