Arizona
Arizona’s highest court is the Arizona Supreme Court. The court consists of five justices, one vice chief justice, and one chief justice. The chief justice and vice chief justice are selected by a majority of the court. The chief justice serves a five-year term and the vice chief justice’s term is determined by the court. (Source: Arizona Supreme Court)
Judicial Selection
The governor appoints Arizona Supreme Court justices from a list provided by a judicial nominating commission. After at least two years on the court, the justice can stand for a six-year term in an unopposed yes/no retention vote in Arizona’s next general election. Justices can stand for additional terms through retention elections. The governor fills interim vacancies from a list provided by the judicial nominating commission. The mandatory retirement age is 70.
State Constitution
Arizona’s first and only constitution was adopted in 1911. As of January 1, 2026, it had 161 amendments. (Data on file with John Dinan, Wake Forest University.)
Filters
How Are Advocates Using State Reproductive Freedom Amendments?
Voters approved state constitutional protections for reproductive rights. Now, courts are interpreting what they mean — and not just in cases about abortion.
Arizona Charts New Path for the Right to Speak Freely
In upholding an election disclosure law, the Arizona Supreme Court departed from the U.S. Supreme Court’s framework for evaluating free speech claims.
The Quiet Campaign Against Direct Democracy
As citizens have increasingly employed their powers to make or change law, state officials have used a variety of tactics to make doing so more difficult.
Michigan Supreme Court to Hear Rare Lawsuit Between Legislative Chambers
The case arose after a new Republican majority in the Michigan House refused to send several bills passed by a previous Democratic-controlled legislature to the governor to become law.
Hemani Is Not the End of Drug-and-Gun Litigation
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that it was unconstitutional to disarm a person based on regular marijuana use contains lessons for state judges, policymakers, and litigants.
A Territorial Death Penalty Case Carries a Warning for the States
A federal court of appeals case from the U.S. Virgin Islands shows how Congress could take charging decisions away from state prosecutors and impose capital punishment for state crimes.
State Constitutions Must Better Protect Children
State and federal law fails children caught in custody battles, sometimes with tragic results.
250 Years of State Constitutions
Early state charters are essential to understanding the American founding.