Assigned to JUD FOR COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, First Regular Session
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1419
court opinions; searchable database
Purpose
Requires the Arizona Supreme Court to make available to the public and post on its website
all published Arizona Supreme Court and Arizona Court of Appeals opinions.
Background
The Arizona Supreme Court and the Arizona Court of Appeals are required to publish their
opinions as soon as practicable after they are announced. The opinions must be published in
suitable volumes that must contain appropriate headnotes, tables of cases reported and tables of
statutes cited and construed. Each volume must also contain a digest of the law in the reported
cases and words and phrases construed. The volumes, with the approval of the court, must be
printed and bound (A.R.S. § 12-107).
The Arizona Supreme Court may contract with a person who agrees to publish and sell the
report of decisions on terms most advantageous to Arizona. The contractor must agree to publish,
at the contract price, the number of volumes that the Arizona Supreme Court may require. Any
entity is allowed to request from the contractor any number of volumes, which must be published
and delivered at the contract price to be paid for by the requesting entity (A.R.S. § 12-108).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires the Arizona Supreme Court to make available to the public and post on its website
all published Arizona Supreme Court and Arizona Court of Appeals opinions.
2. Requires each posted opinion to be searchable by word and contain a notation that provides
the current status of the opinion, including whether the opinion is still valid or has been
modified or overturned, in whole or in part, by a different opinion or by a federal court.
3. Requires all courts of record, justice courts and municipal courts to include a link to the
searchable database on each court's website.
4. Makes technical changes.
5. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 8, 2023
ZD/SB/sr