Vol. 11, No. 6 July 2015
Marriage licenses
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision regarding marriage resulted in no
change to the Clerks’ processes for issuing marriage licenses. Since a federal
Circuit Court of Appeals decision in October of 2014, the Clerks of Superior
Court modified their application forms and licenses and have issued licenses
without regard to the applicants’ gender. The Clerk in Maricopa County does not
track the number of same-sex versus opposite-sex applications for marriage
licenses.
For information on how to apply for a marriage license, including fees,
forms of payment, locations, and a video overview, see “Marriage Licenses” on the
main page of the Clerk’s website at http://www.clerkofcourt.maricopa.gov/.
Pilot commercial court starts
now
The Arizona Supreme Court recently established a pilot program that
provides a new superior court venue for commercial litigation. The three-year
pilot program began July 1, 2015 in Maricopa County. The Commercial Court is a
venue to resolve controversies that arise in commercial settings expeditiously
and to reduce the expense of litigation.
With the entry of Administrative Order 2015-15, the Supreme Court adopted
a new rule of civil procedure, Experimental Rule 8.1, for the pilot program, as
well as new forms for a joint report and proposed scheduling order in
commercial cases. Except as specifically modified by Experimental Rule 8.1, the
other rules of civil procedure still apply.
(Above from the Superior Court’s website at http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/SuperiorCourt/CivilDepartment/CommercialCourt/Index.asp)
The Superior Court’s website links to helpful information, including: the
new civil cover sheet that contains a check box for commercial court
eligibility, the administrative orders implementing the pilot, information on
judges assigned to these cases, forms, and related rules and samples. For a
summary of what Commercial Court is and what it is intended to do, see the
court’s Frequently
Asked Questions page. Cases filed before July 1, 2015 are not eligible for
transfer to the Commercial Court.
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