Arizona Case Processing Standards


Model time standards provide a reasonable set of expectations for courts, lawyers and for the public regarding case resolution. Surveys of public opinion concerning the courts consistently find the chief criticism to be the slowness of case resolution. The public expects that their legal disputes can be resolved more quickly than they have been in the past, and the court community should strive to satisfy these expectations while ensuring that justice is done. Justice delayed is justice denied.

The National Center for State Courts has recently developed Model Time Standards for State Trial Courts. Arizona will review the time to disposition standards and make recommendations on appropriate time lines for Arizona courts.

The Arizona Case Processing Standards Project will gather input and feedback from all key justice partners regarding the establishment of case processing standards for all Arizona courts. The timelines are intended to provide a yardstick against which the delivery of judicial services by the Arizona courts should be measured. In short, the standards serve as benchmarks for determining whether the pace of court proceedings is achievable in Arizona courts. The standards, however, should not be considered as rules governing individual cases or creating rights for individual litigants. Rather, deviation from the model time standards should be justified by the requirements for serving justice in the state of Arizona.

Steering Committee Preliminary Recommendations

The Steering Committee has completed a review of the national time standards, Arizona
rules and statutes and a preliminary recommendation for proposed case processing standards has been developed. These recommendations are included below and you are invited to post your comments. Please feel free to share this website with members of the legal community in your jurisdiction.

Comment Period

The Steering Committee will review the comments posted on the website and make
the appropriate revisions to the proposed case processing standards. A final draft of
the proposed case processing standards will be presented to the following standing
committees for recommendation to the Arizona Judicial Council: Committee on Superior
Court; Limited Jurisdiction Committee; Committee on Juvenile Courts; Commission
on Victims in the Courts; and Committee on the Impact of Domestic Violence
in the Courts.
 
 
DETAILED ANALYSIS 
CASE CATEGORY    PRELIMINARY STEERING COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATONS FOR ARIZONA
Civil Superior Court Cases 
Comment Forum
 

Arizona will adopt a different standard than the National Standard.

 Civil Justice Court Cases 
Comment Forum
 

Arizona will adopt a faster standard than the National Standard.           

 Civil Traffic 
Comment Forum
             

Complies with National Standard for Criminal
Traffic and Local Ordinances.

Civil Small Claims 
- exclude eviction actions 
Comment Forum
 

Arizona will adopt a different standard than the National Standard.

 Civil Local Ordinances  
Comment Forum
 

Complies with National Standard for Summary Civil Cases.

Civil Eviction Actions 
(separate case category for Arizona)
Comment Forum
 

Arizona will adopt a faster standard than National Standard.

 Criminal Post Conviction Relief
Comment Forum
 

Arizona will adopt a different standard than National Standard.

 Criminal Misdemeanor
Comment Forum
 

Complies with National Standard. 

Criminal DUI Misdemeanor
Comment Forum 
 

Arizona will continue to use the existing case processing standards. 

 Criminal Felony
Comment Forum
 

Arizona will adopt a differnt standard than National Standard.

 Family Law Post Judgement Motions
Comment Forum

 

Arizona will adopt a different standard than National Standard.

 Family Law - Dissolution, 
Legal Separation, Paternity

Comment Forum
 

Arizona will adopt a different standard than National Standard.

 Family Law - Protection Order Cases
Comment Forum
 

Complies with National Standard for Contested Hearings.

Juvenile Termination of Parental Rights
Comment Forum 
 

Complies with National Standard. 

 Juvenile Delinquency and Status Offense
Comment Forum
 

Arizona will adopt a faster standard than National Standard.

 Juvenile Neglect and Abuse
Comment Forum
 

Arizona will adopt faster standard than National Standard.            

 Probate Administration of Estates
Comment Forum
 

Arizona will adopt a different standard than the National Standard.

 Probate Guardianship/ Conservator of Incapacitated Adults
Comment Forum
 

Arizona will adopt a different standard than the National Standard.

Probate Mental Health Cases
Comment Forum 
 

Complies with National Standard.