Court Commissioner

Maricopa County•Phoenix, AZ

About The Position

Court Commissioners are appointed by the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court through a selection committee made up of Judges, Attorneys, and Legal Community Members. Court Commissioners preside over matters in Civil, Family, Juvenile, Criminal, Probate, Mental Health, Tax, or Justice Courts and serve as a Judge Pro Tempore as directed. ABOUT THE SUPERIOR COURT: The Superior Court of the Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County is dedicated to providing a safe, fair and impartial forum for resolving disputes, enhancing access to our services, and providing innovative, evidenced-based practices that improve the safety of our community and ensure the public’s trust and confidence in the Judicial Branch. The Superior Court in Maricopa County, one of the largest, most innovative and progressive trial courts in the nation, seeks innovative individuals to join our team who will embrace our vision of excellence and the principles inherent in the Rule of Law...every person, every day, every time. We fulfill these principles through a culture that values fairness, respect, integrity, innovation, and safety.

Requirements

Possess United States Citizenship
Be a resident of Maricopa County at the time of appointment
Be of good moral character
Be a duly licensed member of the State Bar of Arizona
Be a resident of the State of Arizona for a period of not less than five years immediately preceding appointment
Be admitted to the practice of law in the state of Arizona for not less than five years immediately preceding appointment
Not have any disciplinary matters pending before the State Bar Disciplinary Board
Commissioners serve from time to time as judges pro tempore in the course of their regular duties.
The Arizona Constitution, Article VI, §22 requires that judicial nominees must be at least 30 years of age.
Knowledge of: Legal principles and precedents and their application
The statutory and constitutional law of the State of Arizona
Family, Civil, Criminal and Constitutional Administrative Law
Skill in: Establishing and maintaining cooperative working relationships
Using logic and reasoning to evaluate and choose between conflicting alternatives based on partial or incomplete information
Ability to: Present statements of fact and law through clear communication and logic in written and oral form
Define issues, perform legal research, analyze problems, evaluate and make appropriate findings and recommendations

Nice To Haves

Achievement or distinction in various areas of the law and litigation consistent with the duties of the Commissioner position

Responsibilities

Hear a variety of cases in Criminal, Civil, Family, Probate, and Juvenile Court departments
During the course of hearing cases interpret, enforce and carry out current laws
May be assigned to the Initial Appearance Court, which will include evenings and weekends.
May also be assigned to a location such as the Maryvale Mental Health building or Desert Vista Hospital.
Assignments may last more than one year
Exercise the same powers and duties as a Judge of the Superior Court in assigned cases, with the same jurisdiction
Criminal: conduct arraignments, handle a pretrial calendar, preside over trials
Juvenile delinquency: conduct detention hearings, pre-trials, adjudication hearings, disposition hearings, and probation violation hearings
Juvenile dependency: conduct adjudication hearings, permanency planning, guardianship and adoption hearings
Family law: conduct child support calendars, including Order to Show Cause and contempt.