Presiding Judge Stephen McCarville presented the 2024 Maricopa Municipal Court annual report to the City Council on June 3, 2025, highlighting significant growth in case filings and operational improvements at the three-year-old Maricopa Municipal Court, which moved into its new facility in early 2024.
Record Case Filings Show Steady Growth
The municipal court processed 8,645 cases in 2024, marking an 11% increase from the 7,791 cases handled in 2023. This growth continues a steady upward trend from 6,718 cases in 2022, representing a 16% increase between 2022 and 2023.
“The case filings have increased each year, reflecting the growth demands on your city,” Judge McCarville told the council. The court now holds the distinction of having the highest municipal court filings in Pinal County, which Judge McCarville attributed to Maricopa’s status as the most populous city in the county.
The court operates with the highest caseload per employee at 865 cases, significantly above the average of 635 cases per employee. Despite this heavy workload, Judge McCarville praised his staff’s dedication and training.
Breakdown of Case Types
Judge McCarville provided detailed definitions of the various case types handled by the court:
As shown in the chart above, Civil Traffic dominates the court’s caseload with 5,530 cases in 2024. Examples include failure to stop at a stop sign or red light, and traveling at a speed not reasonable or prudent (typically cited for traveling less than 20 mph over the speed limit).
Criminal Misdemeanor cases totaled 1,707 and include shoplifting, theft, disorderly conduct, and assault charges.
Criminal Traffic cases numbered 572 and involve more serious violations such as criminal speed (going more than 20 miles over the speed limit) and driving on a suspended license.
DUI cases totaled 295 for the year.
The court handled 124 orders of protection and 82 injunctions against harassment in 2024, totaling 206 cases in this category. Judge McCarville explained that injunctions against harassment involve parties with no familial connection, such as neighbors, while orders of protection typically involve people who have resided together, been married, or have children in common.
Parking citations accounted for 263 cases.
City Code violations numbered 72 and include issues such as signage problems and property maintenance violations.
Time Standards and Resolution Rates Show Improvement
Judge McCarville explained that time standards represent administrative orders from the Supreme Court that mandate courts complete cases within specific timeframes. Each case type has different time standard requirements.
The court has made significant progress in meeting these standards, particularly for DUI cases. Under previous Supreme Court mandates, courts were required to complete 85% of DUI cases within 120 days. In 2023, the Maricopa Municipal Court completed only 33% of cases within this timeframe. By 2024, this improved to 49%, and as of 2025, the court was achieving a 56% resolution rate, although the time standard is expected to expand later in 2025 under a new administrative order issued by Chief Justice Timmer, which allows courts more time to resolve DUI cases.
Judge McCarville credited FitzGibbons Law Offices, the contracted prosecutor for the City of Maricopa, for this improvement. He explained that the prosecutor now brings discovery to arraignment hearings and remains present, allowing defendants to receive discovery immediately rather than waiting. This enables defendants and their attorneys to review police reports and test results quickly, leading to more informed decisions about plea offers.
Fingerprint Process Improvements Address Legal Concerns
The court has made significant improvements to its fingerprinting process, with Judge McCarville singling out staff member Lindsay Peck as being very instrumental in resolving the process. Court staff receive extensive training, with each employee averaging 38.5 hours of training per year, significantly exceeding the Supreme Court mandate of 16 hours annually. McCarville explained that accurate fingerprints are crucial for case validity, particularly in DUI cases where the state alleges multiple offenses.
“If we don’t have valid prints on a case, it may not be viable for use in a prior conviction,” McCarville explained. Without correct fingerprints, defendants might not be charged properly for second or third DUI offenses.
The court has acquired a fingerprint pad that can capture prints on-site in the courtroom, eliminating the need to send defendants to the police department for fingerprinting before concluding cases. This improvement will help expedite the legal process.
Mock Trials Engage Local Students
The court actively engages with the community through mock trial programs. Students from local schools, including Desert Winds, participate in realistic courtroom experiences where they serve as prosecution, defense, witnesses, and attorneys.
“They give the opening statement, they cross-examine all of the witnesses. They actually serve as the witnesses,” McCarville explained. The judge presides over these educational events, which help students understand how the justice system works, burden of proof requirements, and the roles of different court participants.
Judge McCarville emphasized that the court welcomes requests from any school or community group. “We would love to have anyone come over and participate,” he said. “They come over to the court and they use our resource, our facilities. Just so it’s a more realistic environment.” Schools contact the court directly to arrange mock trials, and the court readily provides its resources and facilities.
Orders of Protection Cases Outpace Population Growth
A concerning trend has emerged in orders of protection and injunction cases. The court is currently averaging six orders of protection per week, which McCarville noted is outpacing the city’s population growth.
In 2024, the court handled 206 total cases in this category. However, by the time of the report, the court had already processed 120 cases as of June 2025. If this trend continues, Judge McCarville projected the court could see between 280 and 300 cases by year’s end, which he noted would represent a 35% to 40% increase.
“I don’t know what is driving that,” Judge McCarville admitted, noting that this growth rate significantly exceeds the city’s overall growth rate of 16% from 2022 to 2023. These cases create additional pressure on the court because defendants can request evidentiary hearings to contest orders, requiring additional time that doesn’t count as new cases.
Juvenile Diversion Program Discussion
Councilman Eric Goettl raised the possibility of establishing a diversion court for teens, an idea the council had explored three years earlier. McCarville expressed openness to the concept but outlined several challenges.
As a court of limited jurisdiction, most cases involving individuals 18 or younger must be referred to juvenile court. The municipal court would need permission from Presiding Judge Georgini of the Superior Court to operate a diversion program, and only for certain cases. A previous proposal involving a nonprofit stalled due to funding and jurisdictional limitations.
He noted that the juvenile court previously operated a drug court for juveniles, but resources were not available to continue the program. Any local diversion program would require identifying funding sources, particularly for treatment services, since the municipal court lacks treatment dollars.
“I served six years on the drug court, both juvenile and adult. I know the benefits of those courts,” Judge McCarville said. “Those specialty courts, or therapeutic courts as some refer to them, are very beneficial for communities. Just restoring families is beneficial to all of us.”
Looking to the Future
As Maricopa continues to grow, the municipal court faces planning challenges for expansion. The court opened to the public on January 2, 2024, and was formally dedicated on January 16, 2024. It may need additional staff in the future to handle increasing caseloads.
The court continues to review procedures and processes, meeting regularly with prosecutors and defense counsel to maintain efficiency. Recent changes include consolidating interpreter cases on particular calendars to reduce costs by avoiding daily interpreter services.
The judge emphasized the court’s commitment to community engagement, offering presentations to schools and community groups. Although the court moved into its new facility in early 2024, the Maricopa Municipal Court itself was established in 2022 and continues to focus on its people-first approach while preparing for the demands of a growing city.
Mayor Nancy Smith noted that the court’s traffic case numbers demonstrate the police department’s active enforcement efforts, addressing frequent questions from residents about traffic patrol activities. With 5,530 civil traffic cases and 572 criminal traffic cases processed in 2024, the numbers reflect significant law enforcement activity within city limits.
