Chief Justice of Arizona Ruth V. McGregor delivered the annual State of the Judiciary Address before the House of Representatives on Jan. 18, calling Arizona’s court system receptive and accountable while noting the need for improved handling of death penalty and DUI cases.
“National organizations and our colleagues around the country recognize our court system for its integrity, administrative accountability, and commitment to innovation and public service,” said McGregor, chief justice since 2005, in front of state lawmakers and a gallery full of visiting school children.
She touted strong approval ratings of the state’s judges collected by the Judicial Performance Review Commission, new information services for self-representing litigants and the creation of a specific court to address complex business cases quickly.
The judiciary has also wisely spent money provided by the Legislature and implemented technological gains to improve citizen access to the legal system, she said, citing a review last year by the Auditor General’s Office praising the courts’ “sound project management process.”
Current technological features include an e-mail notification system to provide legal updates for victims of crime, information on judges, live video feed of the Supreme Court’s proceedings and electronic filing of all case documents.
Task force on capital cases
McGregor also announced the creation of a task force to make recommendations to improve the handling of capital cases in Arizona, citing approximately 140 such cases pending in Maricopa County alone.
She named Arizona Supreme Court Justice Michael Ryan to head the unnamed task force with the goal of avoiding ensuing costly retrials that add further hardship to surviving victims.
“By the doing the job right in the first place, we avoid delay and also avoid wasting precious taxpayer resources,” she said.
McGregor, citing previous meetings with justice and municipal courts, said the state needs to increase the speed of DUI case processing.
Last year, the state’s high court appointed a 17-member committee consisting of city judges, justices of the peace, and court administrators, to address the problem. The court’s stated goal is to dispose of 80 percent of DUI cased by guilty plea or jury verdict within 120 days of arrest.
A pilot program to expedite DUI cases was established in 10 justice and municipal courts in Arizona and results will be released this summer. Preliminary findings are showing improvements to the process, said McGregor.