State Ex Rel. Berger v. Superior Court

HAYS, Justice.

The county attorney of Maricopa County filed a petition for special action asserting that the respondent judge had abused his discretion in requiring the state to disclose the identity of its informant. We accepted jurisdiction of the petition for special action.

In order to determine the issue raised, we must look to the factual setting. Based on information supplied principally by the informant, the police secured a search warrant for a house on Cocopah Street in Phoenix, Arizona. Named as a resident of that address was Arthur Santa Cruz, brother of the respondent-defendant.…