Court Statistics


Caseload and Financial Highlights
In FY2009 as compared with FY2008

  • There were 3,028,200 case filings in FY 2009 in the Arizona Courts (Appellate, Superior, Justice and Municipal Courts) resulting in 217,897 additional filings during 2009 fiscal year, an increase of 7.8%.  That’s an average of 11,647 cases filed among the courts every working day.  These filings include 284,683 civil traffic state photo speed enforcement filings into the Justice Courts, which account for 9.4% of the total statewide filings.
     
  • Tax Court case filings increased by 72.8% in FY2009 compared to FY2008.  During the same period, property tax actions increased by 136.9%.
     
  • Superior Court case filings increased by 9.0% statewide.  In Maricopa County and Pima County, filings increased by 13.1% and 2.7%, respectively, while Rural Counties reported an increase of 1.5%.  The statewide increase in total case filings was driven by a 29.0% increase in the civil case category.
     
  • In Superior Court, Contract cases were up 45% in fiscal year 2009 and 132% over a five year period.   The Non-Classified  civil  case category which includes forfeitures , name changes and other cases types increased by 29% in FY2009 and 94% over a five year period.
     
  • In Superior Court, domestic relations are up in FY2009 by 4.1% compared with decreases in fiscal years 2008 and 2007.
     
  • Justice Court case filings increased by 32.0% in FY 2009.  Case filings in the Pima County justice courts decreased by 3.4% while Maricopa and Rural county case filings increased by 68.7% and 2.6% respectively.
     
  • Statewide, 284,683 civil traffic cases for the state’s photo speed enforcement program were filed in Justice Courts in fiscal year 2009.
     
  • Statewide Justice Courts civil traffic cases, including state photo speed enforcement, were up 74% while general civil cases increased by 24% during the same period.
     
  • Justice Court general civil cases, which include torts, contract and forfeiture cases, increased by 24% in FY2009 and 152% compared with five years ago.
     
  • Statewide, civil traffic case filings account for 62.0% of all case filings in Justice and Municipal Courts. Civil traffic filings increased by 217,911, or 14.5% from FY 2008 to FY 2009.
     
  • Municipal Court case filings decreased by 6.0% statewide, while the Municipal Courts in Maricopa County decreased by 9.8%, during the same period.  Pima and the Rural Municipal Court’s case filings increased by 3.1% and 1.9% respectively.  The overall decrease in Maricopa County was driven by a 12.7% decrease in civil traffic case filings.
     
  • There were 82,628 DUI charges were filed in Justice and Municipal Courts.  This represents a decrease of 2,890 case filings from FY 2008, or a 3.4% decrease.   (Case filings in Justice and Municipal Courts are primarily counted by charge, not by defendants).
     
  • Statewide, revenue trends in fiscal year 2009 are keeping pace with case filing trends. Case filings increased by 7.8%, while revenue increased by 7.4%.
     
  • Without the state photo speed enforcement program, statewide revenue increased by 4.8% while total case filings decreased 2.4% in FY2009 compared with FY2008.
     
  • Arizona courts have collected more than $2.79 billion in additional revenue over the $70 million benchmark established in FY 1988.