Arizona Court of Appeals: Divisions and Procedures

The Arizona Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court in the state's three-tier judicial hierarchy, positioned between the Arizona Superior Court and the Arizona Supreme Court. The court is organized into two geographic divisions and handles the majority of appeals from superior court judgments. Understanding its divisional structure, procedural rules, and jurisdictional limits is essential for litigants, legal professionals, and researchers engaged with Arizona civil or criminal appellate practice.

Definition and scope

The Arizona Court of Appeals was established under Article VI of the Arizona State Constitution, which authorizes the legislature to create intermediate appellate courts. The court operates under two divisions:

• Division One is headquartered in Phoenix and holds jurisdiction over appeals arising from Maricopa County and the following counties: Apache, Coconino, Mohave, Navajo, Yavapai, and La Paz — 7 counties in total.
• Division Two is headquartered in Tucson and exercises jurisdiction over appeals from the remaining 8 Arizona counties, including Pima, Pinal, Cochise, Santa Cruz, Graham, Greenlee, Gila, and Yuma.

Division One is significantly larger by caseload volume, reflecting the population concentration in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Division One maintains 16 authorized judge positions; Division Two maintains 6, for a combined statewide total of 22 Court of Appeals judges (Arizona Judicial Branch).

The court's subject matter scope covers civil appeals, criminal appeals (except capital cases, which proceed directly to the Arizona Supreme Court), juvenile matters, domestic relations, and administrative agency appeals. Workers' compensation appeals route through the Industrial Commission of Arizona and may proceed to the Court of Appeals on questions of law.

How it works

Appeals to the Arizona Court of Appeals are initiated by filing a Notice of Appeal in the superior court within 20 calendar days after entry of a final judgment in criminal matters, or 30 calendar days in civil matters, per Arizona Rules of Civil Appellate Procedure (ARCAP) Rule 9(a) and Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure (Ariz. R. Crim. P.) Rule 31.

The procedural sequence proceeds in this order:

1. Notice of Appeal filed in the originating superior court.
2. Record on appeal transmitted from the superior court clerk to the Court of Appeals.
3. Opening brief filed by appellant, typically within 40 days of the record's completion date.
4. Answering brief filed by appellee, generally within 40 days of the appellant's opening brief.
5. Reply brief (optional) filed by appellant within 20 days of the answering brief.
6. Oral argument — scheduled at the court's discretion; not automatic in all cases.
7. Memorandum decision or published opinion issued by a 3-judge panel.

Memorandum decisions lack precedential authority under ARCAP Rule 111(c). Published opinions constitute binding authority for all Arizona superior courts and are subject to further review by the Arizona Supreme Court on a petition for review.

The court does not receive new evidence. Review is confined to the record established in the superior court proceeding below.

Common scenarios

The Arizona Court of Appeals regularly adjudicates the following categories of matters:

• Civil judgment appeals: disputes over contract enforcement, property rights, tort liability, and damages awards originating in superior court.
• Criminal conviction appeals: challenges to conviction based on evidentiary rulings, jury instructions, prosecutorial conduct, or constitutional claims; sentences may also be appealed independently.
• Family law appeals: custody, parenting time, property division, and spousal maintenance orders from superior court family divisions.
• Juvenile dependency and termination appeals: appeals from orders terminating parental rights or establishing dependency, which receive expedited scheduling.
• Administrative agency appeals: judicial review of decisions by agencies such as the Arizona Department of Revenue, the Arizona Corporation Commission, and the Arizona Department of Health Services where the agency has issued a final order.

Interlocutory appeals — appeals of non-final orders — are permitted only in limited categories defined by A.R.S. § 12-2101, including orders granting or refusing injunctions.

Decision boundaries

The Arizona Court of Appeals applies distinct standards of review depending on the nature of the question presented:

The court does not possess original jurisdiction over criminal prosecutions, civil actions, or extraordinary writs addressed solely to trial courts. Capital murder convictions bypass this court entirely — direct appeal lies to the Arizona Supreme Court per A.R.S. § 13-4031.

Scope and coverage limitations: This page addresses only the Arizona Court of Appeals operating under Arizona state law. Federal appeals from Arizona federal district court proceedings are routed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit — that federal tribunal falls outside this page's coverage. Tribal court appeals governed by individual tribal law or the federal Indian Civil Rights Act are not covered here. Matters before Arizona's justice courts and municipal courts route first to the superior court before reaching this appellate tier, and those lower-court procedures are not addressed on this page.

The full structure of Arizona's judicial branch and executive agencies, including the offices that generate administrative decisions subject to appellate review, is documented at the Arizona Government Authority index.

References

• Arizona Judicial Branch – Court of Appeals
• Arizona Rules of Civil Appellate Procedure (ARCAP)
• Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure – Rule 31
• Arizona Revised Statutes § 12-2101 – Judgments from which appeal may be taken
• Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-4031 – Direct appeal in capital cases
• Article VI, Arizona State Constitution
• Arizona Supreme Court Rule 111 – Publication and citation of decisions