12-120. Creation of court of appeals; court of record; composition; sessions

A. A court of appeals is established and constitutes a single court and such court shall be a court of record.

B. The court of appeals shall be divided into two divisions which shall be designated as division 1 and division 2. Division 1 shall have nineteen judges, consisting of the chief judge and six departments of three judges each, denominated, respectively, department A, department B, department C, department D, department E and department F. Division 2 shall have nine judges, consisting of three departments of three judges each, denominated, respectively, department A, department B and department C.

C. Division 1 shall consist of the counties of Maricopa, Yuma, La Paz, Mohave, Coconino, Yavapai, Navajo and Apache.

D. Division 2 shall consist of the counties of Pima, Pinal, Cochise, Santa Cruz, Greenlee, Graham and Gila.

E. The sessions of divisions 1 and 2 shall be held in Phoenix and Tucson, respectively. Sessions may be held at places other than Phoenix or Tucson when in the opinion of a majority of the judges of a division or department the public interest so requires. The judges of the respective divisions and departments may hold sessions in either division and shall do so when directed by the chief justice of the supreme court. Each judge of the court of appeals may participate in matters pending before a different division or department. A matter may be transferred between divisions in order to equalize caseloads and for the best use of judicial resources.

F. Not more than three judges of the court of appeals, including superior court judges and retired judges sitting with the court, shall hear and determine a matter and render a decision, and a majority of two of the three judges shall be sufficient to render a decision.