Bill > HB2126

This bill amends Arizona law to establish specific procedures for changing the venue, or location, of a civil lawsuit when a party involved is an employee of the judicial branch or the clerk of the superior court in the county where the case is filed. Previously, a change of venue as a matter of right, meaning it could be granted automatically, might have applied more broadly. Now, this automatic change of venue is restricted to situations where the employee holds a leadership or supervisory role, works in the same court division as the case, or if the county's superior court has three or fewer divisions and the employee works for the judicial branch or clerk there. If these conditions are met, either party can request a venue change to an adjoining county or an agreed-upon county. If the employee does not meet these specific criteria, a change of venue can still be granted, but only if there's a demonstrated risk of bias or appearance of impropriety that cannot be resolved by other means, such as a judge recusing themselves or a visiting judge being appointed. This new section clarifies when a venue change is a right and when it requires a showing of good cause, without preventing judges from using existing powers to ensure fairness.

Justice

https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/83767