Opinion ID: 867436
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The District Court Has Already Decided Scheehle's Federal Law Claims.

Text: ¶ 13 Scheehle acknowledges that the district court has already dismissed his federal constitutional claims. But he nonetheless asserts that it would be improper for this Court to answer the certified questions, when the district court seeks answers from this Court devoid of any analysis of the impact of the Constitution of the United States on such state law authority. We disagree. ¶ 14 It is not the role of this Court in responding to a certified question of state law to review the federal law rulings of the certifying federal court. The authority pursuant to which we respond to the district court's questions permits us to answer only questions of state law. A.R.S. § 12-1861 (The supreme court may answer questions of law certified to it ... if there are involved in any proceedings before the certifying court questions of the law of this state which may be determinative of the cause.). This opinion is thus limited to the question certified: Does this Court have authority under state law to promulgate the rules at issue and, if it does, is that authority limited by the provisions of A.R.S. § 12-133?