The United States District Court for the District of Arizona (in case citations, D. Ariz.) is the U.S. district court that covers the state of Arizona. It is under the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
The District was established on June 20, 1910, pending Arizona statehood on February 14, 1912.[1]
The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of November 2021[update] the United States attorney is Gary M. Restaino.[2]
The United States District Court for the District of Arizona is the sole federal judicial district in Arizona.[3] Court for the District is held at Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma and Flagstaff. Magistrate courts, established to hear violations on federal lands, are additionally located in Grand Canyon National Park, Kingman, and Page.
The District is further divided into three divisions, with each of these having a central office.[4] The divisions are as follow:
As of July 2, 2024[update]:
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.