Maricopa County Superior Court is where every felony case in the county is resolved. It is the largest trial court in Arizona and one of the largest in the country, and for most people facing a felony charge it is the court that matters.
If you have been charged with a felony anywhere from Phoenix to Buckeye to Apache Junction, this is where the case ends up — regardless of which police agency arrested you or which city court you first appeared in.
What This Court Handles
- All felony criminal cases, and misdemeanors not otherwise assigned by law to another court
- Appeals from municipal and justice courts. If a case was decided in a city court or a justice court, superior court is the next step — not the court of appeals
- Civil disputes above the justice court limit, family law, probate, evictions and tax matters
- Juvenile delinquency and dependency matters, through its juvenile division
How a Felony Gets Here
There are two routes, and which one your case takes affects the timeline and what your lawyer sees, and when.
By grand jury indictment. The county attorney presents the case to a grand jury, which decides whether to indict. The defense is not present for this.
By preliminary hearing. The case begins in a justice court, where a judge hears evidence and decides whether probable cause exists. If it does, the judge requires the defendant to answer the charges in superior court. If it does not, the judge can dismiss the charges outright.
That preliminary hearing is one of the few early opportunities to see part of the state’s case and test it in front of a judge before trial. Whether one occurs at all is often determined within days of the arrest.
Where the Court Sits
Maricopa County Superior Court is not a single building. Criminal proceedings happen across a downtown Phoenix complex and a set of regional centers, and appearing at the wrong one is a genuine risk. The paperwork you were given lists your court location and division — read it carefully, and confirm it before every appearance.
Downtown Phoenix
- Central Court Building — 201 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix, AZ 85003
- East Court Building — 101 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix, AZ 85003
- South Court Tower — 175 W. Madison St., Phoenix, AZ 85003
- West Court Building — 111 S. 3rd Ave., 5th and 6th floors, Phoenix, AZ 85003
- Old Courthouse — 125 W. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85003
- Downtown Justice Center — 620 W. Jackson St., Phoenix, AZ 85003
Regional Court Centers
- Southeast Justice Center — 222 E. Javelina Ave., Mesa, AZ 85210
- Northeast Regional Center — 18380 N. 40th St., Phoenix, AZ 85032
- Northwest Regional Center — 14264 W. Tierra Buena Ln., Surprise, AZ 85374
- Southwest Regional Court Center — 10420 W. Van Buren St., Suite 106, Avondale, AZ 85323
- Western Regional Center — 6655 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale, AZ 85301
Juvenile
- Durango Juvenile Court Center — 3131 W. Durango St., Phoenix, AZ 85009
- Southeast Juvenile Court Center — 1810 S. Lewis St., Building A, Mesa, AZ 85210
What to Expect
A felony case in superior court moves through a sequence of settings rather than a single hearing. There is an initial appearance and an arraignment, followed by pretrial conferences where the case is either negotiated or set for trial, motion practice on issues such as suppression of evidence, and then trial if the case does not resolve.
Most of the work that determines the outcome happens between those settings, not in the courtroom. Disclosure gets reviewed, motions get drafted, investigators get sent out, and the negotiation happens in conversations that never appear on a calendar. What the client sees is a series of short hearings. What decides the case is what happened in between.
Two practical points. Missing a setting is serious — a failure to appear can produce a warrant and undermine release conditions, and it is entirely avoidable. And your release conditions are enforceable from the moment they are imposed, including any no-contact provisions, travel limits or monitoring requirements.
Talk to Nova Law Group
Nova Law Group appears in Maricopa County Superior Court and in courts throughout Arizona’s fifteen counties. If you are facing a felony charge, the earliest stages are where the most options exist.
Call (480) 405-6767 for a free, confidential consultation.
Related: Arizona Courts · Felony Defense · What Happens After an Arrest · Post-Conviction Relief and Appeals