Arizona Primary Legal Materials

Court rules outline procedures for practice in the courts. They answer questions like: How is a suit filed in an Arizona Superior Court?  What evidence is admissible in an Arizona tax court trial?  How can I appeal a case to the Arizona Court of Appeals?  How are cases assigned to judges in Pima county Superior Court?

Some court rules may apply to all state or federal courts, whereas other rules may only able in the individual courts that adopted.  There may also be separate rules for courts with special jurisdiction, for example, the Arizona Tax Court.

Administrative Orders: (Official) Phoenix: Arizona Supreme Court

• Court issued orders regarding new and amended rules of court procedure and standards, judicial appointments, and disqualifications or reassignments.
• Contains policies and procedures to guide municipal, justice of the peace, superior court and appellate courts in Arizona. 
• Print Resources - available in Treatises
• Free Web Resources - available online from the Arizona Judicial Branch. 

Arizona Revised Statutes Annotated: (Official) (Thomson Reuters, (v.16-17B))

• Annotated compilation of rules governing civil, criminal, and appellate procedure in state courts and local rules of practice in individual counties and cities (Tucson, Phoenix), including justice of the peace, traffic and juvenile courts.
• Contains rules and judicial review of administrative decisions. 
• Print Resources
  • Arizona Rules (State), 1998 -  .
• Free Web Resources
  • Thompson Reuters provides unannotated rules governing civil, criminal, and appellate procedure in Arizona state and local courts. This includes rules of practices in individual counties and cities (Tucson, Phoenix), including justice of the peace, traffic and juvenile courts.

Arizona Rules of Court (Federal)

• Print Resources
  • Thompson Reuters publishes the official Arizona Rules of Court (federal), as an unannotated compilation of rules of practice in District and Bankruptcy Courts in Arizona and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
  • Includes federal rules of evidence and rules for multi-district litigation and admiralty/maritime claims.
  • Contains some forms. Each annual edition replaces the previous one.  
• Free Web Resources
  • U.S. District Court, District of Arizona
  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District Of Arizona 
  • U.S. Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit. 

Cities in Arizona like Tucson and Phoenix have city courts, which can have their own rules.  

• Free Web Resources:
  • Westlaw provides free unannotated access to Arizona state and local Court Rules. 
    • Tucson:
      • The City of Tucson's Local Rules of Practice and Procedure in City Court Civil Proceedings 
      • For criminal proceedings, the City of Tucson uses the State of Arizona's Rules of Criminal Procedure. 
    • Phoenix:
      • The City of Phoenix, the City Court's Local Rules of Practice and Procedure (includes rules for both criminal and civil proceedings.

Counties in Arizona also have their own courts. 

• Free Web Resources:
  • The Local Rules for Pima County Consolidated Justice Court Cases.