History of the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One The
Arizona Legislature created the Arizona Court of Appeals in 1964
to accommodate the increase in appeals presented to the Arizona
Supreme Court as the state grew in population. The court began
operations in 1965 and serves as an intermediate appellate court
with two divisions: Division One, based in Phoenix, and Division
Two, based in Tucson. Division One of the court came into
existence with three judges and was expanded to its current
number of sixteen judges throughout the years as the state’s
population increased. The court considers appeals emanating from
eight of Arizona’s fifteen counties: Apache, Coconino, La Paz,
Navajo, Maricopa, Mohave, Yavapai, and Yuma. To date, 54 men and
women have served as judges on the court. The following articles
were published by the Arizona Attorney in its June 2005 edition
and thoroughly recount the court’s initial 40 years, including
personal reflections and memories. The court thanks the
publishers of the Arizon