News

Arizona Court of Appeals to hold oral argument at AWC

Yuma, AZ (October 24, 2018) – Arizona Western College and the Arizona Court of Appeals invite the community to attend an oral argument about the case Waltz Healing Center, Inc. v. Arizona Department of Health Services.

The oral argument will be held Friday, Nov. 2, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Schoening Conference Center at the AWC Yuma Campus, 2020 S. Avenue 8E. Participants are encouraged to arrive early to go through security for screening.

This event will give students and members of the public an opportunity to see first-hand what goes on in an appellate court. After the oral argument, judges, attorneys and law clerks will debrief the case and answer questions about the judicial process and careers in legal professions.

The issues Waltz Healing Center raises in the appeal from the Maricopa County Superior Court are whether the denial of its application for a medical marijuana dispensary registration was arbitrary and capricious, whether an error was made in affirming ADHS’s decision to deny the application, and whether ADHS violated Waltz’s equal protection and due process rights. This information derives from a case summary prepared by the Staff of the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One, solely for educational purposes. It should not be considered official commentary by the Court or any member thereof or part of any brief or other filing made in this or any other case.

The Arizona Legislature created the Arizona Court of Appeals in 1964. The Court serves as an intermediate appellate court with two divisions: Division One, based in Phoenix, and Division Two, based in Tucson.  Division One resolves appeals from eight of Arizona’s 15 counties:  Apache, Coconino, La Paz, Navajo, Maricopa, Mohave, Yavapai and Yuma. Judges of the Court of Appeals are chosen by merit selection and appointed by the Governor.

Division One decides appeals in three-judge panels, which rotate in composition every few months. Appeals are decided in a wide variety of substantive areas including civil, criminal, juvenile, family, mental health, probate, and tax law. Along with considering appeals from superior court decisions, administrative decisions first considered by the superior court, and some matters from the limited jurisdiction courts, the Court of Appeals also reviews decisions made by the Arizona Industrial Commission in workers’ compensation cases, by the Arizona Corporation Commission, and by the Arizona Department of Economic Security appeals board. It also considers “special action” petitions seeking pre-judgment and emergency relief.

The panel meets to consider an assigned case and hear any oral argument provided in order to reach a decision.  Each decision is memorialized in writing and posted on the Court’s website.

Although all the Court’s decisions are subject to discretionary review by the Arizona Supreme Court, in 2017, Division One’s decision was the final word in more than 99 percent of the cases it resolved.

For more information about the event, contact Angelica Diaz de Leon at Angelica.DiazDeLeon@azwestern.edu or (928) 344-7635 or Bertha Avila at Bertha.Avila@azwestern.edu or (928) 344-7664.

Contact:
Angelica Diaz de Leon
Academic Advisor
Arizona Western College
Angelica.DiazDeLeon@azwestern.edu
(928) 344-7635