Court Statistics


Caseload and Financial Highlights
In FY2011 as compared with FY2010

  • There were 2,452,564 case filings in FY2011 in the Arizona Courts (Appellate, Superior, Justice and Municipal Courts) resulting in 604,878 less filings compaired to fiscal year 2010, a decrease of 19.8%.  That’s an average of  9,433 cases filed among the courts every working day.  These filings include 75,698 civil traffic state photo speed enforcement filings into the Justice Courts, which account for 3.1% of the total statewide filings.

  • Tax Court case filings decreased by 31.2% in FY2011 compared to FY2010.  During the same period, property tax actions decreased by 31.9%.
     
  • Superior Court case filings decreased by 3.2% statewide.  In Maricopa County and Rural Counties, filings decreased by 3.1% and 2.4%, respectively, while Pima County reported a decrease of 4.9%.  The statewide decrease in total case filings was driven by an 3.7% decrease in the civil case category.
     
  • In Superior Court, contract cases were down by 8.5% in fiscal year 2011. The Non-classified  civil  case category which includes forfeitures, name changes and other cases types decreased by 1.3% in FY2011.

  • In Superior Court, juvenile petitions were down in FY2011 by 9.0%. 

  • Justice Court case filings decreased by 9.8% in FY2011.  Case filings in the rural county justice courts decreased by 9.5% while Maricopa and Pima county case filings decreased by 4.3% and 21.3% respectively.

  • Statewide, 75,698 civil traffic cases for the state’s photo speed enforcement program were filed in Justice Courts in fiscal year 2011, compaired with 450,169 filings in fiscal year 2010.

  • Statewide Justice Courts civil traffic cases, including state photo speed enforcement, were down 49.3% while general civil cases remained unchanged during the same period.

  • Justice Court general civil cases, which include torts, contract and forfeiture cases remained unchanged in FY2011 due to the increase in other civil and the decrease in small claims.

  • Statewide, civil traffic case filings account for 56.7% of all case filings in Justice and Municipal Courts. Civil traffic filings decreased by 144,464, or 10.7% from FY2010 to FY2011.

  • Municipal Court case filings decreased by 9.1% statewide.  Maricopa, Pima and the Rural Municipal Court’s case filings decreased by 10.2%, 10.4% and 2.1% respectively.  The overall decrease was driven by a 8.8% decrease in civil traffic case filings.

  • There were 77,478 DUI charges filed in Justice and Municipal Courts.  This represents a decrease of 4,147 case filings from FY2010, or a 5.1% decrease. (Case filings in Justice and Municipal Courts are primarily counted by charge, not by defendants).

  • Statewide, revenue trends in fiscal year 2011 are following case filing trends. Case filings decreased by 19.8%, while revenue decreased by 4.8%.

  • Without the state photo speed enforcement program, statewide revenue decreased by 0.6% while total case filings decreased 8.8% in FY2011 compared with FY2010.

  • Arizona courts have collected more than $3.486 billion in additional revenue over the $70 million benchmark established in FY1988.