Arizona Briefs Collection
The Law Library holds Arizona Supreme Court and Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One briefs in print and microfilm. Our briefs collection is incomplete and no longer updated.
How do I know if the library has the briefs I need?
Check the catalog records below for both print and microfilm to see if our collection covers the year you are looking for. To determine if the library holds briefs for a specific case, please contact the Circulation Desk at 480-965-6144 or Ask a Law Librarian.
Print Briefs
The print briefs are arranged by court, then by the Arizona Reports citation assigned to the case.
Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One
Microfilm Briefs
The briefs on microfilm are arranged by court, case type, and docket number.
Arizona Supreme Court
Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One
Where are the briefs located?
Print briefs are located in the Stacks collection on the sixth floor. There are a few Arizona Appeals Courts briefs shelved at the beginning of the Court of Appeals briefs. Briefs on microfilm are located in the microforms cabinets on the third floor.
How are the briefs arranged on the microfilm rolls?
The briefs on microfilm are arranged by docket number. To find the docket number of a case, locate the opinion either online or in the Arizona Reports or Pacific Reporter. The docket number is listed in the preliminary information at the beginning of the opinion.
The docket number ranges printed on the microfilm boxes may be incomplete. For example, Box 1 may list #400–425 but only contain scattered briefs in that docket range. Box 2 may list #415–430 but may also contain earlier briefs that were not available for filming with Box 1. The docket number ranges on the boxes are intended as guidelines rather than a complete listing of all cases on the film.
What do the various parts of a docket number mean?
Supreme Court
Example: CR 96-1495
CR tells you this is a criminal case. 96 is the year and 1495 is the unique number assigned to the case.
Prior to 1986, Arizona Supreme Court docket numbers did not contain either a case type or year designation, only a unique number sometimes followed by an abbreviation. E.g., No. 15948 PR.
Court of Appeals
Example: 1 CA-CV 95-0587
1 CA-CV tells you this is a Court of Appeals, Division One civil case. 95 is the year and 0587 is the unique number assigned to the case.
Prior to 1988, Court of Appeals docket numbers did not contain a year designation, E.g., 1 CA-CV 8876.
Case type abbreviations:
CV or CIV (Civil)
CR (Criminal)
HC (Habeas Corpus)
IC (Industrial Commission)
MH (Mental Health)
CC (Corporation Commission)
TX (Tax Court)
SA (Special Action)
SB (State Bar)
UB (Unemployment Benefits)
Who should I contact if I am looking for briefs that are not in your collection?
The clerk of each court is the best person to contact.
- Supreme Court — 602-452-3396
- Court of Appeals, Division One (Phoenix) — 602-542-4281
- Court of Appeals, Division Two (Tucson) — 520-628-6954