Court Statistics


Caseload and Financial Highlights
In FY2010 as compared with FY2009

  • There were 3,050,712 case filings in FY 2010 in the Arizona Courts (Appellate, Superior, Justice and Municipal Courts) resulting in 17,945 additional filings during 2010 fiscal year, an increase of 0.6%.  That’s an average of 11,734 cases filed among the courts every working day.  These filings include 450,169 civil traffic state photo speed enforcement filings into the Justice Courts, which account for 14.8% of the total statewide filings.

  • Tax Court case filings increased by 70.0% in FY2010 compared to FY2009.  During the same period, property tax actions increased by 90.3%.
     
  • Superior Court case filings decreased by 0.3% statewide.  In Maricopa County and Rural Counties, filings increased by 56 cases and 3.6%, respectively, while Pima County reported a decrease of 7.8%.  The statewide decrease in total case filings was driven by an 8.2% decrease in the criminal case category.
     
  • In Superior Court, Contract cases were up 9.7% in fiscal year 2010 and 161% over a five year period.   The Non-Classified  civil  case category which includes forfeitures, name changes and other cases types increased by 12.8% in FY2010 and 107% over a five year period.

  • In Superior Court, domestic relations were down in FY2010 by 3.7% compared with an increase in fiscal year 2009 of 4.1%.

  • Justice Court case filings increased by 11.3% in FY 2010.  Case filings in the rural county justice courts decreased by 0.5% while Maricopa and Pima county case filings increased by 14.6% and 21.9% respectively.

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

  • Statewide Justice Courts civil traffic cases, including state photo speed enforcement, were up 25.8% while general civil cases increased by 1.5% during the same period.

  • Justice Court general civil cases, which include torts, contract and forfeiture cases, increased by 1.5% in FY2010 and 124% compared with five years ago.

  • Statewide, civil traffic case filings account for 64.5% of all case filings in Justice and Municipal Courts. Civil traffic filings increased by 81,907, or 4.8% from FY 2009 to FY 2010.

  • Municipal Court case filings decreased by 7.8% statewide.  Maricopa, Pima and the Rural Municipal Court’s case filings decreased by 8.7%, 7.3% and 4.1% respectively.  The overall decrease was driven by a 9.9% decrease in civil traffic case filings.

  • There were 81,609 DUI charges were filed in Justice and Municipal Courts.  This represents a decrease of 2,672 case filings from FY 2009, or a 3.2% decrease.   (Case filings in Justice and Municipal Courts are primarily counted by charge, not by defendants).

  • Statewide, revenue trends in fiscal year 2010 are keeping pace with case filing trends. Case filings increased by 0.6%, while revenue increased by 4.4%.

  • Without the state photo speed enforcement program, statewide revenue increased by 0.6% while total case filings increased 0.6% in FY2010 compared with FY2009.

  • Arizona courts have collected more than $3.148 billion in additional revenue over the $70 million benchmark established in FY 1988.