diff --git a/datafusion/functions-nested/src/sort.rs b/datafusion/functions-nested/src/sort.rs
index ba2da0f760eee..cbe101f111b26 100644
--- a/datafusion/functions-nested/src/sort.rs
+++ b/datafusion/functions-nested/src/sort.rs
@@ -18,16 +18,14 @@
 //! [`ScalarUDFImpl`] definitions for array_sort function.
 
 use crate::utils::make_scalar_function;
-use arrow::array::{
-    Array, ArrayRef, GenericListArray, NullBufferBuilder, OffsetSizeTrait, new_null_array,
-};
+use arrow::array::{Array, ArrayRef, GenericListArray, OffsetSizeTrait, new_null_array};
 use arrow::buffer::OffsetBuffer;
 use arrow::compute::SortColumn;
 use arrow::datatypes::{DataType, FieldRef};
 use arrow::{compute, compute::SortOptions};
 use datafusion_common::cast::{as_large_list_array, as_list_array, as_string_array};
 use datafusion_common::utils::ListCoercion;
-use datafusion_common::{Result, exec_err, plan_err};
+use datafusion_common::{Result, exec_err};
 use datafusion_expr::{
     ArrayFunctionArgument, ArrayFunctionSignature, ColumnarValue, Documentation,
     ScalarUDFImpl, Signature, TypeSignature, Volatility,
@@ -134,18 +132,7 @@ impl ScalarUDFImpl for ArraySort {
     }
 
     fn return_type(&self, arg_types: &[DataType]) -> Result<DataType> {
-        match &arg_types[0] {
-            DataType::Null => Ok(DataType::Null),
-            DataType::List(field) => {
-                Ok(DataType::new_list(field.data_type().clone(), true))
-            }
-            DataType::LargeList(field) => {
-                Ok(DataType::new_large_list(field.data_type().clone(), true))
-            }
-            arg_type => {
-                plan_err!("{} does not support type {arg_type}", self.name())
-            }
-        }
+        Ok(arg_types[0].clone())
     }
 
     fn invoke_with_args(
@@ -206,11 +193,11 @@ fn array_sort_inner(args: &[ArrayRef]) -> Result<ArrayRef> {
         }
         DataType::List(field) => {
             let array = as_list_array(&args[0])?;
-            array_sort_generic(array, field, sort_options)
+            array_sort_generic(array, Arc::clone(field), sort_options)
         }
         DataType::LargeList(field) => {
             let array = as_large_list_array(&args[0])?;
-            array_sort_generic(array, field, sort_options)
+            array_sort_generic(array, Arc::clone(field), sort_options)
         }
         // Signature should prevent this arm ever occurring
         _ => exec_err!("array_sort expects list for first argument"),
@@ -219,18 +206,16 @@ fn array_sort_inner(args: &[ArrayRef]) -> Result<ArrayRef> {
 
 fn array_sort_generic<OffsetSize: OffsetSizeTrait>(
     list_array: &GenericListArray<OffsetSize>,
-    field: &FieldRef,
+    field: FieldRef,
     sort_options: Option<SortOptions>,
 ) -> Result<ArrayRef> {
     let row_count = list_array.len();
 
     let mut array_lengths = vec![];
     let mut arrays = vec![];
-    let mut valid = NullBufferBuilder::new(row_count);
     for i in 0..row_count {
         if list_array.is_null(i) {
             array_lengths.push(0);
-            valid.append_null();
         } else {
             let arr_ref = list_array.value(i);
 
@@ -253,25 +238,22 @@ fn array_sort_generic<OffsetSize: OffsetSizeTrait>(
             };
             array_lengths.push(sorted_array.len());
             arrays.push(sorted_array);
-            valid.append_non_null();
         }
     }
 
-    let buffer = valid.finish();
-
     let elements = arrays
         .iter()
         .map(|a| a.as_ref())
         .collect::<Vec<&dyn Array>>();
 
     let list_arr = if elements.is_empty() {
-        GenericListArray::<OffsetSize>::new_null(Arc::clone(field), row_count)
+        GenericListArray::<OffsetSize>::new_null(field, row_count)
     } else {
         GenericListArray::<OffsetSize>::new(
-            Arc::clone(field),
+            field,
             OffsetBuffer::from_lengths(array_lengths),
             Arc::new(compute::concat(elements.as_slice())?),
-            buffer,
+            list_array.nulls().cloned(),
         )
     };
     Ok(Arc::new(list_arr))
diff --git a/datafusion/sqllogictest/test_files/array.slt b/datafusion/sqllogictest/test_files/array.slt
index 1640cbbf7ff3a..69154cda53a39 100644
--- a/datafusion/sqllogictest/test_files/array.slt
+++ b/datafusion/sqllogictest/test_files/array.slt
@@ -2577,6 +2577,31 @@ NULL NULL
 NULL NULL
 NULL NULL
 
+# maintains inner nullability
+query ?T
+select array_sort(column1), arrow_typeof(array_sort(column1))
+from values
+  (arrow_cast([], 'List(non-null Int32)')),
+  (arrow_cast(NULL, 'List(non-null Int32)')),
+  (arrow_cast([1, 3, 5, -5], 'List(non-null Int32)'))
+;
+----
+[] List(non-null Int32)
+NULL List(non-null Int32)
+[-5, 1, 3, 5] List(non-null Int32)
+
+query ?T
+select column1, arrow_typeof(column1)
+from values (array_sort(arrow_cast([1, 3, 5, -5], 'LargeList(non-null Int32)')));
+----
+[-5, 1, 3, 5] LargeList(non-null Int32)
+
+query ?T
+select column1, arrow_typeof(column1)
+from values (array_sort(arrow_cast([1, 3, 5, -5], 'FixedSizeList(4 x non-null Int32)')));
+----
+[-5, 1, 3, 5] List(non-null Int32)
+
 query ?
 select array_sort([struct('foo', 3), struct('foo', 1), struct('bar', 1)])
 ----