Senator Mark Finchem introduced SB 1283 to address long-standing inefficiencies and ideological imbalance within Arizona’s appellate court system. Division Two of the Court of Appeals, based in Tucson, covers seven southern counties yet operates with overlapping functions and inconsistent rulings.
SB 1283 dissolves Division Two and consolidates appellate functions to streamline the judiciary, reduce duplication, and improve consistency in legal decisions statewide. The bill responds to concerns that certain courts have drifted away from neutral interpretation and toward judicial activism.
A court system exists to apply the law, not reshape it. When courts become disconnected from constitutional limits, reform becomes necessary.
Bill Info: https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/83789
(AZ Mirror) GOP senator wants to dissolve appeals court covering seven southern counties
A Republican state senator wants to dissolve the branch of the Arizona Court of Appeals that covers southern Arizona. “I suppose the best way to describe what the appellate court seems to be doing is schizophrenic,” Sen. Mark Finchem, R-Prescott, said last week during an Arizona Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee hearing. “It’s all over the place on its decisions.” […] Finchem’s Senate Bill 1283 would eliminate the Division Two Arizona Court of Appeals in Tucson and reorganize the system, transferring all of its cases to the Division One Court of Appeals in Phoenix.
Read Article: https://azmirror.com/2026/02/03/gop-senator-wants-to-dissolve-appeals-court-covering-seven-southern-counties/