PHOENIX (March 10, 2025 ) – The Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County is pleased to announce its presence at the Maricopa County Veteran StandDown on March 13-14 at the Arizona State Fairgrounds.
Hosted by the Arizona Veterans StandDown Alliance, eight judicial officers from the Branch will volunteer their services inside two courtrooms at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, where homeless and justice-involved veterans can resolve potential legal obstacles. Court staff from the Criminal Department and the Law Library Resource Center will also be present to provide additional resources as well as the Adult Probation Department to access cases of veterans currently on probation and make recommendations to the court.
“In our community many veterans are just one incident away from becoming homeless, and many vets are simply unaware of all the services and resources available to them,” said Deputy Criminal Department Administrator Chris Candelaria. “But this event makes it easy because we welcome all veterans regardless of their discharge status, the length of their service or their military assignment. We want all veterans that need help to be at the event.”
The court proceedings will allow veterans an opportunity to clear their record of any fines, fees and other minor legal issues that are preventing them from gaining employment, obtaining a drivers’ license or having their civil rights restored, for example.
“As members of the community, we are grateful to those who have served our country as members of the Armed Forces,” said Criminal Department Administrator Nicole Garcia. “In recent years, there have been a number of new laws to help justice involved individuals get a fresh start, and we want our veterans to know just how many resources actually exist to help them with legal issues. Having outstanding or old legal issues doesn’t need to be an impediment to moving forward in your life.”
At the 2024 event, 158 hearings were held for 84 veterans, 226 motions were processed for 102 veterans and 186 received services from the Judicial Branch.
The Maricopa County Veteran StandDown, a program of the Arizona Housing Coalition, began in 2001. The program connects Arizona’s military veterans with community resources and services, including healthcare, mental health services, clothing, meals, emergency shelter, transitional and permanent housing, ID/driver licenses, court services and legal aid, showers and haircuts. For more information, visit the Arizona Housing Coalition.