'A Year of Growth and Change:’ Annual Report Summarizes Success

PHOENIX (February 15, 2023) – Recapping “a year of growth and change,” the Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County has released its 2022 annual report, a document designed to summarize the programs, people and services that supported the fair administration of justice for the citizens of Maricopa County.

In the report, Presiding Judge Joseph Welty and Judicial Branch Administrator Ray Billotte highlight the important role of staff members and affiliated professionals in successfully managing the fourth largest trial court in the nation.

“The administration of justice is neither a scientific formula nor a mechanical process – it is a system built on the efforts of people working together to resolve disputes of one nature or another,” they write in the introduction. “Judicial officers, attorneys, probation staff, outside experts and litigants come together in our courts, in either formal or informal proceedings, to seek resolution and solutions. We take our role as neutral arbitrators with utmost seriousness and seek to always enhance the public’s trust and confidence in their judicial branch of government.”

The report, focused on the 2022 fiscal year, includes more than 75 pages of facts, datapoints, photos and stories that detail the work of the nearly 3,000 employees of the Judicial Branch in Maricopa County who serve the Valley’s population. The report can be downloaded on the Judicial Branch in Maricopa County’s website.

“With 98 judges, 67 court commissioners, nearly 3,000 staff members and a budget topping $310 million, the Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County fulfills its mission with support from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, our community partners and the Arizona Administrative Office of the Courts,” Welty and Billotte said. “It is through these partnerships that we are able to meet the challenges of a growing community while remaining among the most innovative and forward-thinking court systems in the nation.”

Find the report here: https://superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/communications-office/annual-reports/

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The Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County is comprised of Superior Court, Adult Probation and Juvenile Probation, which includes juvenile detention. The Judicial Branch in Maricopa County is the fourth largest trial court system in the nation and, along with its 3,000 employees, is dedicated to providing a safe, fair and impartial forum for resolving disputes, enhancing access to services, and providing innovative, evidence-based practices that improve the safety of the community and ensure the public’s trust and confidence in the Judicial Branch. For more information, visit https://superiorcourt.maricopa.gov.

Contact:

Timothy Tait, Communications Director Timothy.Tait@jbazmc.maricopa.gov

602-506-7570 (office) -or- 602-526-4776 (mobile)