Maricopa County Superior Court

The criminal courts downtown

Criminal matters are heard in the downtown court complex — the Central Court Building at 201 W Jefferson St and the South Court Tower at 175 W Madison St, Phoenix 85003. Regional court centers around the county handle early felony appearances, but trials and most substantive hearings happen downtown. The Criminal Department information line is (602) 506-8575.

How a felony case arrives and moves

Felonies begin with an initial appearance within 24 hours of arrest, then reach Superior Court by preliminary hearing or grand jury indictment. From arraignment the case moves through pretrial conferences, disclosure, motions, and settlement conferences toward trial — with most cases resolving before one. The full sequence is in our guide to what happens after an arrest in Maricopa County.

Looking up a criminal case

Superior Court criminal case information is searchable on superiorcourt.maricopa.gov by name or case number, and hearing dates and assigned judges are published there. The Clerk of Court handles records and filings. If someone was just arrested and you cannot find a case yet, it may not have been filed — check the jail roster first.

The stakes here are different

Superior Court is where prison sentences happen. Felony procedure moves on strict deadlines, plea offers arrive early and expire, and mandatory sentencing rules — dangerous offenses, threshold drug amounts, aggravated DUI minimums — remove a judge’s discretion before anyone has argued anything. Get a criminal defense attorney involved at the initial appearance, not the arraignment.