New court house opens for business

Defendants, plaintiffs, attorneys, a handful of clerks and the judge who regularly populate
the Maricopa-Stanfield Justice Court and Maricopa City Court as of Wednesday have been treated to a new facility with more of, well, everything.

From no longer needing to cross North John Wayne Parkway to find a public restroom to having separate quarters for opposing parties in pending cases to confer with their attorneys, the 6,700-square-foot facility has already been a welcome change for the Hon. Judge Scott Sulley.

“We were able to process the cases faster because of more room, and the fact that I had a clerk in the courtroom for the first time,” Sulley said late Friday, shortly before the close of the facility’s third day of business.

Until midweek, local county and city court proceedings took place in a 1,500-square-foot trailer covered with stucco that has been in use in one fashion or another for 50 years. Since 1984, the doublewide has served as a temporary court house (see “Pinal County breaks ground for temporary court house”).

A quick tour of the facility on Wilson Road, just east of City Hall, revealed a bright, spacious lobby where patrons can sit while waiting for service, a not-quite-finished court room with movable chairs where stadium seating will soon be, and an office, well, fit for a judge.

His previous office was probably smaller than most master bedroom closets in Maricopa, with boxes stacked high with case files and such.

Another upgrade is a break room, deliberation room combo complete with a whiteboard for strategizing and the usual facilities one might need to enjoy a reasonable midday meal.

Sulley said while they’ve experienced what he referred to as a few minor glitches, the sound system seems to be working well and overall, he and his staff are more than happy with their new home.

“We’re still putting things away,” he said, noting that there isn’t exactly perfect order in the court just yet. “It’s going to take a while to get used to things.”

The court has not missed a beat, however, when it comes to putting away criminals.

The court’s most serious case since changing quarters involved a 45-day sentence for a defendant charged with extreme DUI along with seven other charges including stalking.

Sulley explained for a court on this level that 45 days is a fairly long sentence.

He also explained that while he is hearing those and other less-serious cases, he will actually be able to better hear what’s being said because of the court’s further proximity from the railroad tracks and other noisy distractions.

“We’ll still hear the train, but there we’d have to stop also for sirens and helicopters landing near the fire department,” the judge said.

Those weren’t the only distractions.

Before, everyone from both sides of a case had to meet in the same space, keeping their voices down so they could not hear each other.

“We really worked fairly well together,” Sulley said.

But the separate meeting rooms in the new digs have already proved helpful.

“The attorneys were able to use their rooms,” he said.

Photo by RuthAnn Hogue