The Arizona Supreme Court, the highest court in the state, is composed of seven justices: a chief justice, a vice chief justice, and five associate justices. All justices are appointed by the governor from a list compiled by a bipartisan commission. This merit-based selection process, a modified version of the Missouri Plan, disregards political affiliation and aims to minimize politicization.
Justices do not participate in head-to-head elections but face retention elections two years after their appointment. If retained, they serve a six-year term before another retention election. The mandatory retirement age for justices is 70. In early 2024, Arizona Senate Republicans attempted to change the six-year term to a lifelong appointment. However, Proposition 137, which appeared on the ballot, was overwhelmingly rejected by 77.7% of voters.
A recent case that garnered national attention was Planned Parenthood of Arizona v. Mayes. On April 9, 2024, the court ruled that an 1864 law banning abortion could be enforced. Consequently, abortion in Arizona became temporarily illegal, except when “necessary to save” the mother’s life, with no exceptions for rape or incest. The ruling also criminalized assisting in illegal abortions, with a penalty of two to five years imprisonment.
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