Arizona’s Three Branches

Legislative – The State Legislature
• Arizona House of Representatives
• Arizona Senate

Executive – The “Plural Executive”
• 6 major executive offices all directly
elected

Judicial – The Arizona Supreme Court
and other inferior courts
Arizona Legislature

House of Representatives
• 60 members
• 2 elected from each of 30 legislative districts
• Currently 40 Republicans, 20 Democrats

Senate
• 30 members
• 1 elected from each of 30 legislative districts
• Currently 21 Republicans, 9 Democrats

Legislators all serve 2 year terms, limited
to 4 terms in any one house
Here in Mesa, if you
live west of Gilbert
Rd., you are likely in
District 18
If you live east of
Gilbert Rd., you are
likely in District 19
Your State Legislators
Rep. Cecil Ash (R - Dist. 18)
Sen. Russell Pearce (R – Dist. 18)
Rep. Steve Court (R – Dist. 18)
Your State Legislators
Speaker Kirk Adams (R - Dist. 19)
Sen. Rich Crandall (R – Dist. 19)
Rep. Justin Olson (R – Dist. 19)
The Historical State Capitol
Building
Another View
Arizona’s Executive Branch

“Plural Executive” – We elect all
major members of the executive
branch, not just one
• Unlike the federal system, where
President is elected, then appoints all
other major officials
Arizona Executive Branch

6 Major Executives
• Governor




Signs or vetoes bills
Recommends laws to
the legislature
Appoints heads of
state agencies and
judges
Commander-in-chief
of the Arizona
National Guard
Governor Jan Brewer (R)
Arizona Executive Branch

6 Major Executives
• Secretary of State


Responsible for
smooth running of
elections
Takes over for
Governor in case of
vacancy
Sec. of State Ken Bennett (R)
Arizona Executive Branch

6 Major Executives
• Attorney General


Chief law
enforcement officer
of Arizona
Argues for Arizona in
federal court cases
Attorney General Tom Horne (R)
Arizona Executive Branch

6 Major Executives
• State Treasurer


Oversees tax
collection and
disbursement of
state funds
Advises the governor
on the state budget
Treasurer Doug Ducey (R)
Arizona Executive Branch

6 Major Executives
• Superintendent of
Public Instruction


Sets standards for
hiring of teachers
and graduation from
K-12 schools
Advises the school
districts on
standards for what
should be taught
Superintendent John Huppenthal (R)
Arizona Executive Branch

6 Major Executives
• State Mine
Inspector

Inspects all state
mines to ensure
safety regulations
are followed
Mine Inspector Joe Hart (R)
Arizona’s Judicial Branch

Selecting Judges (Merit System)
• State Constitution requires judges to:




be at least 30 years old
demonstrate good moral character
have passed the Arizona Bar and practice law in
Arizona
be a resident of Arizona for at least 5 years
• Bipartisan Nominating Commission chooses at
least 3 qualified applicants to recommend to
the governor
• Governor chooses one of the names to appoint
Arizona’s Judicial Branch
Judges serve either a 4 year or 6
year term
 Judicial Recall – at the end of their
term, judges names appear on a
ballot for voters to vote “yes or no on
the question of retention”
 Judges are required to retire at 70

Arizona’s Judicial Branch
Courts
Judges
1
2
159
Arizona Supreme Court
5
Arizona Court of Appeals
3
Superior Court
1
Rebecca White Berch,
Chief Justice of
Arizona
Arizona’s Judicial Branch

Other courts include municipal courts
and justice of the peace courts,
which decide “limited jurisdiction”
issues
• Ex. – traffic tickets, renter/landlord
disputes, small claims lawsuits, etc.
Other Important Features of
Arizona’s Constitution

Initiative – citizens may propose a
law or constitutional amendment by
collecting signatures on a petition
• In the next election, voters determine
whether it becomes law or not
• Ex. – Prop. 102 (2008) defined marriage
as one man and one woman in Arizona’s
constitution
Other Important Features of
Arizona’s Constitution

Referendum – The Arizona
legislature passes a bill, but submits
it to voters for final approval (rather
than the governor)
• 5% of voters can petition to pass a bill
by referendum, or legislature can
choose to use this method
• Ex. Prop 302 (2000) – used car rental
and hotel tax revenue to build a new
Cardinals stadium
Other Important Features of
Arizona’s Constitution

Recall – voters can petition to put an
elected official on the ballot before
their term is over
• Requires 25% of voters to sign the
petition
• Ex. – Mayor Neil Giuliano of Tempe
faced a recall election on the grounds he
shouldn’t have advocated the light rail
project (but he won the recall election
and stayed in office)
Other Important Features of
Arizona’s Constitution

Tribal Sovereignty – Indian tribal
reservations are not subject to the laws of
Arizona
• Ex. – Gambling is not legal in Arizona, yet
casinos can be built and operated on tribal
lands

Clean Elections – anyone running for state
office who gets a small donation from a
certain number of people can have their
campaign funded by the state
Things that are on the Final that
don’t fit in another category
Central Arizona Project – water
conservation project that brings
water to the valley from the Colorado
River
 Civic Responsibilities

• Voting
• Paying taxes
• Serving on juries
• Obeying the law