PHOENIX – Arizonans have no constitutional right to vote on all the judges on the state Court of Appeals even if they are deciding cases that directly affect them or the counties where they live, the Arizona Supreme Court has concluded.

In a unanimous ruling Thursday, the justices rejected arguments by the Goldwater Institute that the system, which dates back to the 1960s, violates state constitutional provisions guaranteeing free and equal elections.

Justice James Beene, writing for the court, acknowledged that the method of electing appellate judges allows only some people to vote on some of the judges, all based on where the voters live. And he said it also is true that appellate court rulings could affect people who, because of where they live, have had no voice in deciding whether t

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