In Tempe, the Attorney General's Office has asked the court to remove one contender for JP and one for constable from the ballot for falsifying their residence addresses. And in Mesa, an incumbent who's also the county's presiding JP is under fire for mixing church and state. He's an official with the Mormon Church and a couple years ago excommunicated a church member. This year, he ruled against the guy's wife in a judicial proceeding. He's also been targeted by fellow JPs who don't like the way he runs the justice court system and are making sure the story of his potential conflict is being circulated this election season.
Most people have no idea who their justice of the peace is.
Yet Justice Court is the place most people come into contact with the court system. They preside over felony arraignments. There are 22 JPs in Maricopa County with jurisdiction divvied up by specific justice precincts. Come January, when the new West Tempe JP takes office, there will be 23. You must be at least 18 years old and live within the boundaries of the justice precinct.