Maricopa County Family Court- Does it matter which Judge I am assigned?
Yes. It matters very much which Judge you are assigned. Judges do things differently from one another. They have different opinions, bias’ and preferences and different ways of doing things. They are, after all, asked to make judgments based on their application of the laws to your situation. While this seems obvious, you do have the ability to change Judges’ one time, as a matter of right, before the Judge has made a ruling based on the Arizona Rules of Family Law Procedure.
Some people want their issue to be handled as quickly as possible. Some judges move cases along as quickly as they can and actively manage their calendars and cases. Others, wait to even set a trial until the parties have exchanged all information and they indicate to the court they are ready for a trial. Some judges have preferences on school choice issues, parenting time schedules, how they feel about the right of first refusal etc. Some Judges are very strict about deadlines, others will allow almost everything to come into evidence.
The bottom line is that you will need to talk with an experienced practitioner about your case, your personal preferences and your assigned judge. Really, we are talking about matchmaking cases and personalities. With that being said, changing judges means you are rolling the dice again. You can’t elect the Judge you want. Talk to us, we’d love to help.
