Arizona DUI & Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
Jurisdiction as it relates to criminal charges, and the court which has the authority to hear the criminal case. Each court has designated jurisdictional authority over specific types of cases such as Felonies or Misdemeanors. The Court in where the case will initially be heard, should appear on the Citation or Complaint document they received at the time of their arrest or by mail. Arizona law extends jurisdictional authority to certain courts for specific types of cases as follows:
1) Felony charges are heard in Arizona Superior Court. AZ Superior Court is considered one entity. However, there are different locations serving Arizona, and Maricopa County.
2) Misdemeanor cases are held in lower courts including municipal Courts, city courts and Justice Courts.