The Arizona attorney general is the chief legal officer of the State of Arizona , in the United States . This state officer is the head of the Arizona Department of Law, more commonly known as the Arizona Attorney General's Office. The state attorney general is a constitutionally -established officer, elected by the people of the state to a four-year term. The state attorney general is second (behind the Secretary of State ) in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Arizona .
10-555: Headed by the attorney general of Arizona, the Arizona Attorney General's Office is the largest law office in the state, with approximately 400 attorneys and 1,000 employees. As of 2019, the Attorney General's Office is divided into the following divisions: The Arizona Constitution requires all of the officers in the state's executive department, including the attorney general, to be at least 25 years old,
20-488: A U.S. citizen for 10 years and an Arizona resident for five years. Arizona law further requires the attorney general to have been a "practicing attorney before the supreme court of the state" for at least five years before taking office, however the Arizona Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional during the appointment process of Jack LaSota in 1977; LaSota had not renewed his state bar membership and
30-569: A few other circumstances as outlined in the Arizona Constitution. A quorum is three, but the whole court must sit in order to declare a law unconstitutional. The Chief Justice is chosen for a five-year term by the court, and is eligible for re-election. They supervise the administration of all the inferior courts. They are Chairman of the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments, which nominates candidates to fill vacancies in
40-531: A list of nominees to the governor. The governor is required by law to appoint from this list based on merit, without regard to party affiliation. Justices are then retained for an initial period, after which they are subject to a retention election . If the justice wins the election, their term is six years. Between February to April 2024, the Arizona Senate (with all Republican state senators approving and all Democratic state senators objecting) passed
50-560: A resolution to change the Arizona Supreme Court term length from six years to lifelong, which would apply retroactively and override the result of the November 2024 Arizona Supreme Court retention elections; the resolution was approved by Arizona House of Representatives and is awaiting voter approval. The current Arizona Supreme Court includes: Retention election Too Many Requests If you report this error to
60-497: Is appointed by the governor of Arizona from a list recommended by a bipartisan commission. Justices stand for retention in an election two years after their appointment and then every six years. They must retire at age 70. The court started in 1912 with three justices. Alfred Franklin , Donald L. Cunningham , and Henry D. Ross took office on February 14, 1912. In 1949, the Court expanded from three to five justices. In 2016 it
70-648: The appellate courts. If the Governor fails to appoint one of the nominated candidates within sixty days of their names being submitted to her or him, the Chief Justice makes the appointment. The Vice Chief Justice, who acts as Chief Justice in the latter's "absence or incapacity," is chosen by the court for a term determined by the court. Justices are selected by a modified form of the Missouri Plan . A bipartisan commission considers applicants and sends
80-573: The attorney general of Arizona, through the Arizona Department of Law, shall: Democratic (17) Republican (10) Arizona Supreme Court The Arizona Supreme Court is the state supreme court of the U.S. state of Arizona . Sitting in the Supreme Court building in downtown Phoenix , the court consists of a chief justice , a vice chief justice, and five associate justices . Each justice
90-589: Was further expanded from five to seven justices. This expansion was criticized at the time by some as court packing . The jurisdiction of the court is prescribed by Article VI, Section 5 of the Arizona Constitution . Most of the appeals heard by the court go through the Arizona Court of Appeals , except for death penalty cases, over which the Arizona Supreme Court has sole appellate jurisdiction . The court also has original jurisdiction in
100-629: Was therefore not considered a practicing attorney. While the state constitution establishes the office of Attorney General, it does not prescribe the powers of the office. Instead, the Arizona Constitution expressly provides that the powers and duties of the state attorney general are to be prescribed by the Arizona State Legislature . In pursuance of this constitutional mandate, the Arizona Legislature has prescribed that, under A.R.S. §41-193(A)(1) – § 41-193(A)(8),
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