Creating a New Court

The time has come for Maricopa County to create a new justice precinct. Our population and caseloads have grown to a point where Arizona statutes require that either our precinct lines be redrawn or we expand to add a new court.

Maricopa County currently has 26 justice precincts, each led by an elected Justice of the Peace to process many types of cases brought to us from the public, from businesses, and from law enforcement: 

• criminal misdemeanors (theft, contracting without a license, disorderly conduct, etc.)
• criminal traffic (DUI, racing, reckless driving, etc.)
• civil traffic (speeding, HOV violations, driving without insurance, etc.)
• civil lawsuits (unpaid debt, evictions, etc.)
• small claims (civil cases under $3,500 but soon to increase to $5,000)
• protective orders (orders of protection, injunctions against harassment)
• and more (appeals, expungements, etc.)

These case types generate different amounts of work, both for the judge and for the staff. A complicated formula in ARS 22-125, Section B assigns points- or judicial productivity credits- to each case filed. We call these JPCs.

Section H of the same statute specifies that no court may exceed 1,200 JPCs per year. Currently, three of our courts are over this limit: two in the West and one in the Northwest. A fourth in the East is just one point below the allowable limit. Given population growth projections, others will be there as well in the very near future. 

In the most basic terms, we need a plan that will equitably balance case filings and workloads among all our courts, and then leave us in a position to accept future growth across the entire county. We believe the best way to do this is to add a 27th justice court in the West and while we are at it, make a number of other precinct line adjustments that more evenly distribute JPCs in the East.

The map to the left shows our proposal. Clicking this link will open it for you to see, download, and save for closer inspection. When you are looking at or zooming in on the map, note that the thick black and blue lines signify current precinct boundaries. The proposed new precincts are shown in solid color that may include areas across two or more current precincts.

The most significant changes are these:

• Divide the White Tank Justice Precinct (serving Buckeye, Goodyear, etc) geographically in half along Interstate 10.
• The top half retains the name White Tank and absorbs some JPCs from neighboring Country Meadows and Hassayampa.
• The bottom half becomes the new precinct- yet to be named.

Below, we chart the approximate differences between the current and future JPCs after the change: 

Again, these are projected JPCs based on filing and population data current as of January 1, 2025.

You can use the Maricopa County Interactive Election District Map to search for any of these non-voting precincts.

Go to the web site below and in the search window on the left side of the page, enter "NVP [x]" as shown in the example image here.

https://recorder.maricopa.gov/reviewer/default.htm

We do not suggest these changes lightly or alone. Court customers have a voice in the process.

The Maricopa County Justice Courts will plan two or more public meetings this Summer to present this formally to the public and to take your questions. These public meetings will be virtual on either the Microsoft Teams or Zoom platform. Once we have those scheduled, you will see times and dates here plus a link to register. You will be able to attend by computer, tablet, or phone. We may add an in-person component if we find it necessary.

After those public meetings are held and we close commenting on our web site, we will take all feedback into consideration and make a formal presentation to the Maricopa Board of Supervisors. We expect that to take place in September.

The Board of Supervisors will then take over the process by determining the final precinct lines, outlining the process for finding a new Justice of the Peace and Constable, and naming the new precinct.