Arizona Sheriff’s Court (Commonwealth)

In the Commonwealth of Arizona, the Sheriff’s Court is the trial courts of general jurisdiction in the Commonwealth. The Court, while unitary, is divided into fifteen jurisdictions, conterminous with the fifteen Counties of the Commonwealth; and in each County, the local division of the Sheriff’s Court may consider all civil and criminal matters occurring within that County’s boundaries. The Sheriff’s Court also has exclusive jurisdiction over civil matters in which the amount in controversy is more than $75,000, felony cases, estate and probate matters, family law cases (including divorces and child custody hearings), and juvenile proceedings.

While there is no titular head of the Court as a unitary tribunal, each County-based jurisdiction of the Sheriff’s Court is headed by the county Sheriff, who is appointed by the King on his own initiative, and each serves at the King’s pleasure. The Sheriff is both the administrative head of the Sheriff’s Court in his County as well as the summary appellate judge of the Court in his County. Under each Sheriff are Sheriff-Judges who preside over the actual trials in the Sheriff’s Court, with decisions rendered by a thirteen-member jury, or on summary judgement by the particular trial’s Sheriff-Judge himself. Sheriff-Judges are appointed by the King from a list prepared by the Arizona Judicial Council, to a term of eight years, with retention elections halfway into the 8-year term; there are no term-limits attached to the post of Sheriff-Judge. Decisions rendered may be appealed to the person of the county Sheriff, and if not resolved, may be then appealed to the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Arizona for final dispensation.