You never think about the Clerk of the Superior Court until the worst week of your life: a divorce, a custody fight, a probate case. Then your whole life is in a file at that office. Here is what Jeff Dial will do with it.
Your Records Stay Private
Jeff wrote the laws. He sponsored the law that keeps the home addresses of domestic-violence survivors out of public records (HB 2302, 2011). He wrote the protection that stops an officer from searching your phone when you show your insurance card (A.R.S. § 28-4135(B)). He wrote the law that keeps your library records private (HB 2165, 2013). The Clerk holds every Superior Court file in Maricopa County. Jeff protected what is in people’s files in the Legislature. Now he wants to run the office that holds them.
1. Bring the Courthouse to You
You should not have to take a day off work or hire a lawyer to file a form. Jeff will push to expand online filing and online access to court records so routine business gets done from your kitchen table.
2. Two Offices, One Purpose: You
The Clerk’s Office and the Court are separate for good reason. Jeff will make them work together so you are not bounced between counters, while keeping the Clerk independent of the judges.
3. Protect Your Tax Dollars
It is your money. Jeff will run the Clerk’s budget of more than $60 million the way he ran his own business: every dollar accounted for, nothing spent that does not serve you.
4. Cut Waste
High turnover costs taxpayers. Jeff will strengthen staff retention, build a skilled, stable team, and look at every line of the budget with one question: is this worth what it costs you?
5. Tell You What This Office Does Before You Need It
Nobody should learn how the courts work during the worst week of their life. Jeff will teach the public what this office does before you need it, not when you are standing at the counter.
One standard: will the Clerk uphold the law and follow the Constitution, not a personal agenda? That is how Jeff Dial will run this office, for everyone, whatever your politics. His commitment is a Clerk’s Office that simply works.
The Scale of the Office
- Oversees a staff of approximately 670
- Manages a budget of more than $60 million
- Supports more than 160 judges and commissioners
- Serves a constituency of approximately 4.5 million people
- Operates one of the nation's largest county trial-court systems
Key responsibilities of the Clerk
- Providing public access to court records
- Maintaining case dockets
- Attending court sessions and recording actions
- Receiving, distributing, and preserving official court documents
- Accepting filings for Superior Court cases
- Collecting and disbursing court-ordered fees, fines, and victim restitution
- Providing family-support related services
- Receiving, managing, and storing evidence and exhibits
- Issuing and recording marriage licenses
- Processing passport applications
The Clerk is separately elected, not appointed by judges, so the office answers directly to the voters. That independence is what makes accountability and transparency possible.