Page 16 November 2012 Jennifer Cranston By Jennifer Cranston There are a lot of different courts in Arizona. Even lawyers get confused over which court handles a particular kind of case. Here’s a quick summary of the jurisdiction held by the various courts. Municipal/City Court Many cities and towns (including Phoenix and Scottsdale) have their own municipal courts. These courts have jurisdiction over certain crimes and offenses committed within their city limits, including driving under the in fl uence of alcohol, civil traf fi c cases and violations of city laws. However, municipal courts do not have the power to decide civil lawsuits between citizens. Justice Court Justice courts (also known as Justice of the Peace courts) are established by the counties. They have jurisdiction over traf fi c cases and limited criminal matters. They also handle civil cases where the amount in dispute does not exceed $10,000. Superior Court Arizona’s Superior Court is a single court with locations in each county. It is known as a “general jurisdiction court,” which means it is constitutionally empowered to hear legal matters not exclusively assigned to another court (such as a federal bankruptcy court). Because the Superior Court has jurisdiction over so many different kinds of cases, it is divided into different divisions, including civil, criminal, probate, family, juvenile and tax. The Superior Court also reviews cases appealed from justice and municipal courts. Court of Appeals The Court of Appeals is the fi rst level of appeal for cases from the Superior Court. There are two divisions, one in Phoenix and the other in Tucson. Division One (in Phoenix) also has appellate responsibility over decisions from the Industrial Commission as well as unemployment compensation rulings from the Department of Economic Security. Supreme Court The Supreme Court is the state’s highest court, often called the court of last resort. The Supreme Court’s jurisdiction over most cases is discretionary, which means the court may refuse to review the rulings of a lower court. However, criminal cases in which the defendant has been sentenced to death are automatically reviewed by the court. Federal Court Federal courts have limited jurisdiction, which means they only handle certain types of cases. The two primary types of federal cases are (1) those that raise a “federal question” (such as matters requiring interpretation of a federal law like the bankruptcy code) and (2) disputes between citizens of different states where the amount of alleged damages exceeds $75,000. This last kind of case (called a diversity case) is not exclusively within the jurisdiction of federal courts; such claims can also be litigated in state courts. The structure of the federal court system is similar to Arizona’s. It is comprised of trial courts (called district courts), fi rst tier appellate courts that hear cases appealed from the district courts within their geographic region (called “circuits”), and the U.S. Supreme Court, which has discretion over which cases it will review. Arizona is part of the Ninth Circuit and has district courts throughout the state. Jennifer A. Cranston is a shareholder at Gallagher & Kennedy, P.A. and the 2012 president of the Maricopa County Bar Association. For more information visit www.gknet.com. National Merit Scholarship Corporation named four students from Phoenix Country Day School as National Merit Semi fi nalists: Arcadia residents Melanie Cohen, Maddie Stern and Micah Travis, as well as Katherine Currault. Based on their academic achievement, SAT scores and principal’s recommendation, they move forward to potentially win the National Merit Scholarship, to be announced in April, 2013. Five Arcadia High School students were among 41 SUSD students who received Letters of Commendaton from the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Corp. Tyler Cardinal, Lucy Hall Hartley, Jenna Moore, Jeffrey Silver and Brigitte Von Oppenfeld were all commended for high scores on their PSAT/NMSQT. They could become candidates for special scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses. Different courts assigned different kinds of cases C e l l : ( 6 0 2 ) 6 1 9 - 4 5 5 0 O f f i c e : ( 4 8 0 ) 2 8 7 - 5 2 0 0 7 1 3 5 E . C a m e l b a c k R o a d , Su i t e 3 6 0 S c o t t s d a l e , A Z 8 5 2 5 1 c i o n n e . m c c a r t h y @ r u s s l y o n . c o m w w w. C i o n n e M c C a r t h y. c o m w w w. Fa c e b o o k . c o m / C i o n n e . M c C a r t h y S econds from the Arizona Country Club, this eclectic home melds Spanish archi- tecture with a Contem- porary flair to create a Casual yet Elegant am- biance. 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Page 17 November 2012 Julie Young and her sisters, Jenny and Jacque, at Holyrood Castle. Arcadian visits Scotland By Kaley Kalil Julie Young has lived in Arcadia her entire life from attending Prince of Peace preschool to Hopi Elementary School on to Ingleside Middle School and up to Arcadia High School. She returned to Hopi fi ve years ago where she is the library aide. Young doesn’t always stay close to home, though. In September, she visited Scotland with her two sisters, mom and dad. “(We) went primarily to see the lands of my father’s ancestors, the wild and wooly MacDonald clan,” Young said. “It was a dream of my dad’s to see where his great grandfather had lived before he emigrated to the U.S. My dad has traced his MacDonald family line all the way back to Somerled, King of the Isles, who lived in the 12th century.” The family began its quest in Edinburgh. Here they explored Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace and the historic Old Town market square, the Grassmarket. Three days later, they rented a car and headed out to the highlands to visit Perth, Glamis Castle and Inverness. They spent a morning at the historical battle fi eld of Culloden where the fi nal confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising took place. They visited Urquhart Castle on the bank of Loch Ness, where Nessie the reputed Loch Ness Monster lives. One of the highlights of the trip for Young was the time she spent in Invergarry at the Glengarry Castle Hotel. “This beautiful, romantic manor house stood overlooking a loch with ruins of the Glengarry Castle on the grounds,” she said. “They serve a fi ve-course meal in a dining room overlooking the extensive grounds. The people were lovely, the views were stunning and the food was delicious.” Young ventured over the bridge to the Isle of Skye and spent an afternoon with her family at the MacDonald Family Center. “Quite a violent and bloody lot, but extremely loyal.” They caught a ferry back to the mainland and spent a night at Fort William, home to Ben Navis – the highest peak in the U.K. They paid a visit to Glen Coe, site of the famous massacre of the MacDonalds in the 18 th century. “We spent the rest of the day exploring Stirling Castle, an unbelievably well- Continued on page 18 3300 W. CAMELBACK RD. PHOENIX, AZ 85017 FACEBOOK.COM/GCUARENA Chip Davis, Founder and Creator Mannheim Steamroller #SJBO#PJUBOPt&MWJT4UPKLPt+PBOOJF3PDIFUUF ,JNNJF.FJTTOFSt.JSBJ/BHBTV "TIMFZ8BHOFSt"MJTTB$[JTOZt3ZBO#SBEMFZ /BPNJ-BOH1FUFS5DIFSOZTIFW ."//)&*.45&".30--&3 XJUITQFDJBMHVFTU.&("/)*-5: GSPNUIFIJU/#$TIPX4."4) featuring BOEBDBTUPG Olympic, World & National Champions /#$"JSEBUF4VOEBZ /PWFNCFS to1.&45 PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS AT GCUARENA.COM ($6"SFOB#PY0GmDF PSDIBSHFCZQIPOFBU 5PQMBOB(SPVQ0VUJOHGPSPSNPSF DBMMGPSHSFBU(SPVQ%JTDPVOUT