The “plural executive” structure as practiced in Arizona is different from the national executive structure in that several officials, as opposed to one official, are in charge. In the national government, however, the president acts as the single elective head and is assisted by several appointed subordinates. Top on the list of the Arizona executive branch is the governor (Arizona State Legislature, n. d.). Then, we have the secretary of the state below the governor, followed by the attorney general. Below the attorney general is the treasurer, while the superintendent of public instruction is at the bottom of the ladder. The other two positions considered are a state mine inspector, as well as a commission made up of five people. The governor has the power to hire and fire departmental heads. In addition, the governor also influences the budget process of the state. This means that the governor also influences how the members of the state get access to public funds.
The minimal requirements for executive branch members are that they are not less than 25 years of age. In addition, the members must have been citizens of the United States for 10 years, five of which are as a resident of Arizona, the members (Arizona State Legislature, n. d.). I believe that the current qualifications for members of the plural executive in Arizona are sufficient because they facilitate the election of a candidate who has the best interest of the state at heart. Historically, the executive powers were broadly dispersed and even today, this perspective is still valid and useful. This is because corruption can be reduced by having multiple elected officials. For example, territorial officials are widely known for abusing power. In the case of a plural executive branch, the multiple elected officials are in a position to watch one another. Also, no single official wields a lot of power hence they are not likely to abuse power.
The state of Arizona has three levels of jurisdiction: the limited jurisdiction consists of municipal and state courts (Arizona State Legislature, n. d.). These courts are often termed as nonrecord, in that they do not require permanent records to facilitate court proceedings. Their jurisdiction is also limited to different cases. There is also the general jurisdiction. The Superior Court of Arizona falls under this level of jurisdiction. It maintains permanent records and handles different cases.
Finally, we have the state appellate courts. These courts reviews decisions and trials appealed to them.
In Arizona, counties with a population of above 250,000 often select the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court judges through what is known as the merit selection process. First, judicial candidates are required to submit their applications to a commission made up of mainly public members (State Bar of Arizona, n. d.). The applications are reviewed by all commission members before deciding on the applicants that qualify to be interviewed. Before the actual interview, the applicants are investigated further. Once the interviews are done, the most qualified candidates are recommended to the governor by the commission, for each judicial appointment, their names are submitted to the governor, taking into account gender and ethnic diversity. Merit (the professional qualifications of the candidate) is the primary consideration. Out of the three recommended, only one is appointed by the governor (State Bar of Arizona, n. d.). Following their appointment, judges are often subjected to what is known as retention election, periodically. This means that voters have the final decision as to whether or not they are competent enough to keep their jobs. The Judicial Performance Review Commissions, along with the help of litigants, jurors, attorneys, and the court staff examine the performances of individual judges against the established judicial performance standards.
The Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review
This body is charged with the responsibility of establishing performance standards for judges. In addition, the body also decides if a judge fulfills the established standards, before alerting the voters on the findings (JPR. (n. d.). To do so, the commission holds public hearings to get the views of individuals who are privy to what the job performance for judges entails. They also distribute written surveys. An independent data center then compiles the survey responses and the results are then sent to the Commission. The members of the commissions then decide which judge fulfills the judicial performance standards.
The Arizona Commissions on Judicial Conduct
As an independent agency, the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct examines complaints lodged against local and state judges regarding the violation of ethics and Code of Judicial Conduct Commissions on Judicial Conduct Overview. (2010). Its members include attorneys, judges, and public members.
References
Arizona State Legislature. (n. d..). Arizona Constitution. Web.
Commissions on Judicial Conduct Overview. (2010). Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct. Web.
JPR. (n. d.). Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review. Web.
State Bar of Arizona. (n. d.). Merit Selection. Web.