Arizona Superior Court Is the General Jurisdiction Trial Court
Arizona has Superior Courts rather than state-level District Courts. The Arizona Superior Court in Pima County is the trial-level court for felony cases, high-value civil suits, divorce, probate, guardianship, juvenile, and many other major case types. The court has 53 judicial officers split across criminal, civil, family law, juvenile, and probate benches. Presiding Judge Danelle Liwski, Division 6, leads the court, with Associate Presiding Judge Greg Sakall, Division 23, sitting alongside.
Commissioners and hearing officers handle many family, probate, and pretrial calendars at the Superior Court. The full bench, including names like Lisa Bibbens, Luke Brown, Soo Conatser, Julia Connors, Jennifer Espino, Geoffrey Ferlan, Patricia Green, Marie Kagie-Shutey, T. Clayton Kamm, Nicholas Knauer, Derek Koltunovich, Jennifer Langford, Lisa Schriner Lewis, Maricela Meza, Catherine Monro, Bunkye Olson, Helena Seymour, Dawn Walton, and Jeffrey Wohlford, is on the Judges & Courts roster.
The Judges & Courts page shows the full alphabetical list of Superior Court judicial officers, division letters, bench assignments, and phones.
Pima County Superior Court Benches
The Superior Court is split by bench, each with its own presiding judge. Each bench has its own filing rules, calendars, and case types. The bench assignments are set by the Presiding Judge under Arizona court rules and Pima local rules.
- Civil - Major civil suits, with Scott McDonald as Presiding Judge.
- Criminal - Felony prosecutions, with Casey F. McGinley as Presiding Judge.
- Family - Divorce, custody, child support, with Randi L. Burnett as Presiding Judge.
- Juvenile - Delinquency, dependency, severance, with Michael J. Butler as Presiding Judge.
- Probate - Wills, estates, guardianship, with Sandra Bensley as Presiding Judge.
The Presiding Judges page tracks each bench leader.
Pima Superior Court Selected Divisions
The Superior Court assigns each judicial officer to a numbered division. The table below shows a selection of divisions, the assigned officer, and the bench. The full table is on the Judges & Courts page.
| Division | Judicial Officer | Bench | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Danelle Liwski | Presiding Judge, Superior Court | 520-724-3686 |
| 23 | Greg Sakall | Associate Presiding Judge; Civil | 520-724-8301 |
| 29 | Scott McDonald | Presiding Judge, Civil | 520-724-4764 |
| 18 | Casey F. McGinley | Presiding Judge, Criminal | 520-724-3667 |
| 25 | Randi L. Burnett | Presiding Judge, Family | 520-724-8005 |
| 9 | Michael J. Butler | Presiding Judge, Juvenile | 520-724-2204 |
| 15 | Sandra Bensley | Presiding Judge, Probate | 520-724-4416 |
| 30 | Lisa Abrams | Judge, Probate | 520-724-3630 |
| 22 | Jeffrey T. Bergin | Judge, Civil | 520-724-3527 |
| 5 | Kyle Bryson | Judge, Civil | 520-724-4215 |
| 26 | Kellie L. Johnson | Judge, Criminal | 520-724-2966 |
| 21 | Cynthia T. Kuhn | Judge, Civil | 520-724-9901 |
District Court vs County Court vs Justice Court
Arizona's court structure is different from many other states. There is no state "district court." Instead, Pima County uses a three-layer trial structure: Superior Court for major cases, Justice Court for limited-jurisdiction cases, and city or town magistrate courts for local code and ordinance cases. The federal District Court for the District of Arizona is a separate federal trial court.
The right court depends on the case type, the charge, and the dollar amount. A felony charge sits in Superior Court. A small claim under the Justice Court limit sits in Justice Court. A city traffic ticket sits in the city magistrate court. A federal charge sits in the U.S. District Court. The choice is set by statute, not by where the person lives.
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Superior Court (Pima) | General jurisdiction | Felony, divorce, probate, juvenile, major civil |
| Pima Consolidated Justice Court | Limited jurisdiction | Small claims, evictions, traffic, most misdemeanors |
| City magistrate courts | Limited municipal jurisdiction | Local ordinance, city traffic, code cases |
| U.S. District Court, Arizona | Federal trial court | Federal criminal, federal civil, habeas |
Pima Superior Court Specialty Programs
Pima County Superior Court runs problem-solving courts for eligible cases. Drug Court works with substance-use-linked offenses through judicial monitoring, drug testing, treatment, and progress hearings. Criminal Mental Health Court handles cases tied to mental-health needs.
Pretrial Services at the Superior Court also runs the bench-warrant resolution line at 520-724-3310. The court's specialty work fits into the wider Pima County Justice Services Safety and Justice Challenge program, which has run since 2015 and includes pretrial supervision, jail population review, pre-arrest deflection, warrant resolution, and improved court access.
The Drug Court page covers eligibility, program length, and the judicial officer assigned to the calendar.
U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona
The federal District Court for the District of Arizona is the federal trial court covering Pima County. It sits in Tucson and Phoenix and handles federal criminal cases, civil-rights cases, federal-question civil cases, diversity cases, immigration matters, habeas corpus, and other federal jurisdiction matters. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona prosecutes federal criminal cases out of the same federal courthouse. The U.S. Marshals Service handles federal prisoner transport, fugitive work, and court security for the federal bench.
The District of Arizona court site is the front door for federal cases tied to Pima County. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Arizona handles federal bankruptcy. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit hears federal appeals.
Federal records are not in the Pima Superior Court or Justice Court systems. Use PACER for federal docket access. Use the PACER Case Locator to find a case across multiple federal courts. CM/ECF is the official electronic filing and docket system for the District of Arizona.
PACER requires an account and may charge fees for docket reports, with fee waivers and quarterly thresholds under current policy.
Pima County Appeals Path
The appeals path depends on the trial court. A Superior Court ruling is appealed to the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division Two, based in Tucson. From there, a case can move to the Arizona Supreme Court on petition for review. A Justice Court or city magistrate ruling on a limited-jurisdiction matter often goes first to the Superior Court under Arizona rules.
The Clerk handles appeals support for Superior Court cases. The Appeals Support Services area inside the Clerk's office tracks the record on appeal, the transcripts, and the filings needed by the Court of Appeals or Supreme Court. Briefing, oral argument, and decision rest with the appellate court.
Federal appeals from the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona go to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Ninth Circuit also covers most of the western United States.
Case flow: Justice Court › Superior Court › Court of Appeals, Division Two › Arizona Supreme Court
Federal flow: U.S. District Court, Arizona › Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals › U.S. Supreme Court
Pima County Superior Court Scam-Call Warning
The Pima County Superior Court posted a scam-call warning on January 9, 2026. Callers claim to be officers, court staff, or judges, and demand payment to clear a fake warrant or missed jury duty. The court does not collect that kind of payment by phone. Verify any such call by dialing 520-724-4200.
The scam-call warning page is the right reference for any caller who claims to be from the court.
Pima County Court Addresses
The main Pima County District Court address is the Superior Court complex at 110 W Congress Street. The Justice Court sits at 240 N Stone Avenue. Federal court business runs through the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona at the federal courthouse in Tucson.
U.S. District Court, Arizona
Tucson and Phoenix divisions
Federal court for Pima County