SB 1573 — judicial determinations; religious sectarian laws

BillSenate Number:Engrossed judicial determinations;

S.B.religious sectarian laws State of Arizona Senate Fifty-seventh Legislature Second Regular Session SENATE BILL 1573 AN ACT AMENDING SECTIONS 12-3101 AND 12-3102, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES;

1573AMENDING RogersTITLE Floor12, AmendmentCHAPTER Reference22, to:ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES, BY ADDING ARTICLE 2;

printedRELATING billTO AmendmentJUDICIAL draftedDETERMINATIONS. by:

Leg.(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE) - i - S.B.

Council1573 FLOORBe AMENDMENTit EXPLANATIONenacted 1.by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Specifies that a court is prohibited from relying on any religious sectarian law as controlling or persuasive authority.

2.

Removes language stating that a decision or ratification of a private agreement by a judge who relies on sectarian law is void, constitutes appealable error and is grounds for impeachment.

3.

Modifies the definition of religious sectarian law by removing the specific inclusion of Sharia law, Canon law, Halacha and Karma.

4.

Modifies the legislative findings clause.

5.

Makes technical and conforming changes.

Amendment explanation prepared by Michelle Young 3/2/2026 Fifty-seventh Legislature Rogers Second Regular Session S.B.

1573 ROGERS FLOOR AMENDMENT SENATE AMENDMENTS TO S.B.

1573 (Reference to printed bill) Amendment instruction key:

[GREEN UNDERLINING IN BRACKETS] indicates text added to statute or previously enacted session law.

[Green underlining in brackets] indicates text added to new session law or text restoring existing law.

[GREEN STRIKEOUT IN BRACKETS] indicates new text removed from statute or previously enacted session law.

[Green strikeout in brackets] indicates text removed from existing statute, previously enacted session law or new session law.

<<Green carets>> indicate a section added to the bill.

<<Green strikeout in carets>> indicates a section removed from the bill.

The bill as proposed to be amended is reprinted as follows:

SenateSec. Amendments to S.B.

1573 Sec.

A COURT SHALL NOT [USE,RELY IMPLEMENT,ON REFER TO OR INCORPORATE A TENET OF] [RELY ON] ANY [BODY OF] RELIGIOUS SECTARIAN LAW [INTO ANY DECISION, FINDING OR OPINION] AS CONTROLLING OR [INFLUENTIAL]PERSUASIVE [PERSUASIVE] AUTHORITY.

[B.B.

ANY DECISION OR RATIFICATION OF A PRIVATE AGREEMENT THAT IS DETERMINED, ON THE MERITS, BY A JUDGE IN THIS STATE WHO RELIES ON ANY BODY OF RELIGIOUS SECTARIAN LAW IS VOID, IS APPEALABLE ERROR AND IS GROUNDS FOR IMPEACHMENT AND REMOVAL FROM OFFICE.] [C.] [B.] THIS SECTION APPLIES TO A FEDERAL COURT SITTING IN DIVERSITY JURISDICTION.

[D.]C. [C.] THIS SECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO:

THIS SECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO:

[E.]D. [D.] FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, "RELIGIOUS SECTARIAN LAW"[:

1.]FOR MEANSTHE ANYPURPOSES STATUTE, TENET OR BODY OF LAWTHIS EVOLVINGSECTION, WITHIN"RELIGIOUS ANDSECTARIAN BINDINGLAW": A SPECIFIC RELIGIOUS SECT OR TRIBE.

[RELIGIOUS1. SECTARIAN LAW INCLUDES SHARIA LAW, CANON LAW, HALACHA AND KARMA BUT] [2.] DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY LAW OF THE UNITED STATES OR THE INDIVIDUAL STATES BASED ON ANGLO-AMERICAN LEGAL TRADITION AND PRINCIPLES ON WHICH THE UNITED STATES WAS FOUNDED.

MEANS ANY STATUTE, TENET OR BODY OF LAW EVOLVING WITHIN AND BINDING A SPECIFIC RELIGIOUS SECT OR TRIBE.

- 1 - S.B.

1573 2.

DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY LAW OF THE UNITED STATES OR THE INDIVIDUAL STATES BASED ON ANGLO-AMERICAN LEGAL TRADITION AND PRINCIPLES ON WHICH THE UNITED STATES WAS FOUNDED.

As a matter of compact between the state and people of Arizona and the United States as of the time Arizona was admitted to statehood on February 14, 1912, the tenth amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees to the state and people of Arizona that other than the -2-enumerated Senatepowers Amendmentsexpressly granted to S.B.the United States under article I, section 8 of the United States Constitution, Congress and the federal government will not exercise any purported control over or commandeer the courts of the state of Arizona.