Arizona Supreme Court: Its 1997-1998 Decisions

Abstract:     
The Arizona Supreme Court is Arizona's most important legal institution. Its decisions establish the meaning of the Arizona Constitution, the correct interpretation of Arizona legislation, and the content of Arizona common law. Its applications of the United States Constitution and federal law are reversible only by the Supreme Court of the United States. The importance of Arizona Supreme Court decisions to the government of Arizona and the lives of its people is quite similar to the impact that U.S. Supreme Court decisions have nationally.

U.S. Supreme Court decisions are annually reviewed in both the popular media and scholarly legal journals. These commentaries describe the overall subject matter of the Court's work for the year, discuss specific important decisions and legal developments, and note apparent trends in the Court's jurisprudence. This article undertakes a similar examination of one year's decisions of the Arizona Supreme Court.

This article examines the Arizona Supreme Court's published opinions between July 1, 1997 and June 30, 1998. An annual review provides a current picture of the full scope of the court's work - the subject matter of the cases it decides, the sources of law used in deciding them, and the general character of the issues under review. Perhaps most important, it can provide a basis for evaluating the general character and quality of the court's jurisprudence.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 77

Keywords: Arizona Supreme Court, state law, courts

Accepted Paper Series