Arizona's Supreme Court has been handing down major decisions impacting so many facets of our lives in State 48 for more than a century.
That's why ABC15 has prepared a special series featuring Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ann Timmer, to dive deeper into what our state's High Court does, the standards it sets, and the impacts its decisions make.
Chief Justice Timmer assumed her new role back in July. Appointed by former Governor Jan Brewer in 2012, Chief Justice Timmer has a new agenda she hopes will get more people involved in the process, highlighting areas where the legal system can better serve Arizonans from all walks of life.
"I've seen a real change in the way people perceive judges and courts and whether they are getting a fair shake in the court system," explains Chief Justice Timmer.
And that's part of the reason she made maintaining public trust and confidence one of her top priorities since taking over as Chief Justice this summer.
"There's a real recipe for a lot of information going around that may be accurate, maybe not, and I think a lot of people get their impression of what goes on in the courts from maybe the federal system and think, well, the state system must be exactly the same...And so whatever opinion you might from of the U.S. Supreme Court - good or bad - that is likely going to be your impression of your local judges in the state."
And that opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court remains near historic lows with less than half of Americans surveyed - 47% - saying they have a favorable view of our nation's High Court, according to a Pew Research Study from this summer.
"Unfortunately, we know this, a lot of trust in judges has really been going downhill through the years. The good news is people trust us more than other government institutions but the bad news is we are at about a 60% rating for state courts and that's not acceptable."
Chief Justice Timmer says it's sad and distressing to hear about the perception of the courts.
"I've always viewed the judiciary as such an important cornerstone of democracy itself."
It's all part of her strategic agenda, which includes:
- Maintaining public trust and confidence
- Expanding and promoting access to justice
- Protecting children, families, and communities
- Advancing judicial branch excellence and innovation
- Enhancing professionalism and leadership
In a recent interview, ABC15's Nick Ciletti asked Chief Justice Timmer why she decided to call her strategic agenda, "And Justice For All."
"It encapsulates all the initiatives and goals we have in the strategic agenda and it's inclusive of everyone, which is what I am going for, that everyone has the right to access to justice, so it's for everyone."
It's an agenda Chief Justice Timmer assembled after traveling to all fifteen counties across Arizona earlier this year.
"Traveling around to each of the counties, I could see the issues, meet the people, and hear not only the amazing things they do, because they do amazing things with limited resources, but also the challenges they confront and what differs from county to county...I want people to remember that this is their court system."
But the Chief Justice acknowledges that in the past, it hasn't always felt that way, especially for certain groups, with a number of language, cultural, and financial barriers standing in the way, not just in Arizona, but in communities across America.
Chief Justice Timmer says to get more people into the fold, her goal is to put together a special task force to look at ways to incorporate those who have felt disenfranchised in the past.
Chief Justice Timmer also says Arizona ranks near the bottom nationally when it comes to the number of attorneys per capita, so to combat that, the state has started to license what they called "paraprofessionals," who are non-attorneys who are licensed to practice law in very limited areas.
To learn more about the legal paraprofessional program, click here.
There are also a number of basic elements about the Arizona Supreme Court (and court system in general) that many people may be unaware of.
To give you some context, under the Arizona Constitution, the main jobs of the state Supreme Court include handling appeals, creating procedural rules for all Arizona courts, hearing appeals in death penalty cases, creating rules for the Arizona State Bar, and being in charge of new attorneys.
It also means the Arizona Supreme Court has the ability to suspend or disbar attorneys when allegations of misconduct are involved.
To learn more about the Arizona Supreme Court, click here.
